Palatial Love
by srrdk
Summary: Dramione venture abroad for an excursion trip to, THE LAND OF BOLLYWOOD, INDIA! Enjoy this absolutely entertaining story with spicey and ROFL-worthy moments, to see how prejudices are overcome to achieve something greater - LOVE. Fairytale in palaces! R&R
1. Chapter 1  The News

Summary: This story is set in India, where the Hogwarts 6th and 7th year students get to go on excursions to different places in the world, India being one of them. Our favourite Hogwarts couple, Dramione, go to India, as per their choice. Was it a mere coincidence or did they meet each other upon someone else's design? POST WAR. Dumbledore and Snape are alive. Ron will not be bashed in my story so the Ron fans can breathe in peace.

_**Palatial Love**_

**CHAPTER 1 – The News**

"Attention students," boomed the very loud and authoritative voice of Professor Dumbledore, "we have a special announcement to make." Pin drop silence filled the Great Hall. He then gestured Professor McGonagall to come forward to make everyone known about what she had to publicize. "This announcement is especially for the 6th and the 7th year students. Before I continue with announcement, I would like to say that those involved are to know that follows next is mandatory for all. No exceptions. Now, as I was mentioning, during the winter break, 6th and 7th year students are to go on an excursion to one of the 5 places that has been chosen by the teachers and approved by the headmaster. The excursion will be to the following places, Bermuda Island in USA, Stonehenge in England (?), Christmas Islands in Australia, Cairo in Egypt and Rajasthan in India." Upon this, the entire hall broke out in excited whispers already planning for the trips.

"Silence!" cried McGonagall. "Each one of you will be a given a form where you will be writing down 3 of the places you would like to visit the most, out of the 5 options. You also have to mention how many people will be in your group. Maximum number of people in a group should be 8 and each group can have students from more than one house as well. You will need to send the attached Parents Notification Form for their approval, which, upon their signatures, will directly go to the headmaster's office. The deadlines for your Options Slip and your Parents' Notification Form is the coming Friday. You should all know that although this is organised to help you get a break from studies, at the same time you will be learning about different types of magic that is used in such places and even the different cultures. The excursion trip has also been organised in lieu of celebrating the victory of Mr Harry Potter in The Final War." At this, Harry blushed and sunk deeper into his seat out of sheer embarrassment while all the houses except for Slytherin laughed at him.

"Now carry on with your work and do not forget to send in your forms on time. Thank you," said McGonagall and went back to take her seat at the teacher's table.

"Harry! Ron! Ginny! Let's go to Egypt! I have been dying to study the forms of magic they use. It is said to be one of the most powerful and difficult forms of magic in the world. It really is amazing! Please?" cried Hermione right after the professor stopped talking.

"But Hermione, Ron, Ginny and the rest of their family have already been to Egypt. It will be a waste of a good trip for them. How about Bermuda Island? I hear there are lots of exciting places to see and lots of exciting stories to hear," reasoned Harry, as both Ron and Ginny nodded their heads in approval.

"Trust me Harry, it isn't as interesting as it seems. I read about it in our first year and it bored me to death. If you want to know about anything in particular I could always tell you what I remember. Nope, let's not go to Bermuda Island," said Hermione.

"Blimey! This is a first! The Hermione Granger, bookworm extraordinaire, got bored of reading a book! Ginny I think we are in a parallel universe. Never have I heard such a thing from Hermione," said Ron while Ginny and Harry smothered their laughter but got serious upon seeing Hermione's face. If looks could kill, they would have been killed a thousand times already.

"Well _Ronald_, I'm surprised that pea-sized brain of yours even knows about such a thing as a parallel universe. You surprise me," bit back Hermione.

"You underestimate me Hermione," grinned Ron, "I know I'm not as smart as you but I am not THAT dumb. I only used to pretend I was extremely dumb back in those days just to get your attention. And since I don't need that after our break-up, I'm back to my actual self."

"No Ron, even before you met Hermione you were quite thick-headed," sniggered Ginny, along with the rest of the Gryffindor table.

"Hey guys!" interrupted Parvati, "Most of the Gryffindors are planning for Egypt except for Lav, and Seamus and I. How about we go to India? I've heard we will be living in actual royal palaces. They are known for their grandiosity and believe me; you'll fall in love with the place instantly. I've seen photographs of the time when my parents went for their first honeymoon. They're beautiful," gushed Parvati.

"Yeah, it sounds cool. Even I have seen the pictures of the palaces in muggle newspapers. They really do look very grand. So now we have 7 in our group and we need one more. Hey, how about we invite Luna? What say Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Sure, Luna is cool. Can you go ask her now Ginny? But about India as our destination, I don't know much about it. I tried finding books in the Hogwarts library to read up on their ways of magic, but never got it. I really want to know about it so that I can be prepared when we are taught new forms of magic. Maybe it's hidden somewhere behind that row I looked in 4 years ago. Maybe it's in the row behind the Magical Lands section. I think the collection continues beyond that single row. Hmmm," said Hermione thoughtfully.

"Woah, Ginny! This day has to be recorded in history. In one single day, Hermione Granger reveals that a book bored her to death and that SHE DOESN'T KNOW SOMETHING!" cried Ron, anticlimactically.

He got his reply with a heavy latest version of Hogwarts: A History aimed at his head, which he, unluckily, couldn't avoid.

A/N: Please Read and Review! :D this is my second try at FanFiction.


	2. Chapter 2 The Plan

**CHAPTER 2 – The Plan**

"I can't believe bloody Potty still gets flattered upon being call THE-BOY-WHO-LIVED after all these years and blushes like a freaking girl!" said a frustrated Draco Malfoy to his best friends Blaise, Pansy and Theo.

"Ha! Draco, I think that "after all these years" you still envy his fame," said a very smug Blaise.

"That's bullshit Zabini. I know for a fact that Potty is a dickhead and I would never be jealous of him. And you're supposed to be my best friend Zabini," sneered Draco.

"Wonder where the Golden Trio will be going for excursion. That would be the last place I would go to. Heck! I wouldn't even go to that place!" exclaimed Pansy.

"Pansy, I think we should _exactly_ go wherever they go. Where's the fun in going for a trip if you no Gryffindorks to bother? Plus have you seen how the muggleborn has changed after the war. She can make any bloke go week in knees. Bloody gorgeous if you ask me," said Theo with a smirk on his face that showed exactly how gorgeous the Slytherins found her to be.

Draco let out a snort disagreeing with Theo.

"True that Theo. And Draco mate, she does look gorgeous. Hey, do you have the latest version of invisible ears by Weasleys? I think this is the perfect time to use it," said Blaise, with the others forming an evil smirk on their faces as they gazed at the Gryffindor table.

"Come now! Switch it on!" cried Pansy, impatiently.

"**...Ron, even before you met Hermione you were quite thick-headed" – Ginny**

The four Slytherins sniggered at this.

"**Hey guys! Most of the Gryffindors are planning for Egypt except for Lav, Seamus and I. How about we go to India? I've heard we will be living in actual royal palaces. They are known for their grandiosity and believe me; you'll fall in love with the place instantly. I've seen photographs of the time when my parents went for their first honeymoon. They're beautiful." – Parvati**

"**Yeah, it sounds cool. Even I have seen the pictures of the palaces in muggle newspapers. They really do look very grand. So now we have 7 in our group and we need one more. Hey, how about we invite Luna? What say Hermione?" - Harry**

"**Sure, Luna is cool. Can you go ask her now Ginny? But about India as our destination, I don't know much about it. I tried finding books in the Hogwarts library to read up on their ways of magic, but never got it. I really want to know about it so that I can be prepared when we are taught new forms of magic. Maybe it's hidden somewhere behind that row I looked in 4 years ago. Maybe it's in the row behind the Magical Lands section. I think the collection continues beyond that single row. Hmmm," - Hermione**

"Trust Granger to remember the number of rows and the whole blueprint of Hogwarts library. With the number of hours she spends in the library, only she will be able to do something like that," sniggered Blaise with the rest of his group mates.

"**Woah, Ginny! This day has to be recorded in history. In one single day, Hermione Granger reveals that a book bored her to death and that SHE DOESN'T KNOW SOMETHING!" cried Ron, anticlimactically.**

And then they saw the bushy-haired bookworm whack Weasel with a heavy book.

"Ouch!" cried all four.

"Thank God I was not at the receiving end. Sometimes she scares me with her violence," said Draco. The others merely looked at him weirdly. "Not that she can defeat me in a duel. I'm a pureblood and she's nothing but a filthy mudblood. Wouldn't want to get her mudblood germs all over me," Draco hastily added.

"Right," snorted Blaise, "and I'm the Minister of Magic. We all know how brave you are, Draco. And we are very familiar with how much you _like _dearest Granger. Plus, I thought you over the M word already. You were the one who said there is practically no difference between purebloods, half-bloods and muggleborns. It's no use Draco. She won't even think of it as an insult anymore. She might just take it as a compliment after The War."

"I don't _like_ Granger. She's nothing but a bushy haired bookworm who will probably marry all her books one day since no guy would give three straws about her. And she is _not_ good-looking, let alone gorgeous. A handsome guy like me wouldn't want to be stuck up with that stubborn headstrong girl," said Draco scrunching up his nose.

"Whatever makes you happy mate," said Theo shaking his tiredly. Glancing at Blaise he says, "So, Blaise? India huh? Are you sure it won't be a waste of a good trip? I'm still open to other options you know. Like Egypt, maybe? The other Gryffindorks are going to Egypt. As long as we have any Gryffindorks to make fun of, it should be fine. Right?"

Before Blaise could even open his mouth, Draco interrupted him by saying in a haughty tone, "I don't just want _any_ Gryffindork. I want _THE_ Gryffindorks. I'm Malfoy; I wouldn't accept anything other than those three to make fun of."

The rest shared a knowing glance at each other at this.

"_Well_, looks like we're heading to India. It should be a lot of fun. It better be a lot fun," said Pansy smirking at the boys, while subtly changing the topic, and even giving "looks" to Blaise and Theo about Draco and Granger girl.

"To India then!" cheered the four best friends.

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><p>While Draco had left them to go and submit the forms, the trio stayed back in the common room to plan out THE PLAN to get the star-crossed lovers together, for once and for all. By the end of it, they were sure they would all be happy with the results.<p>

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><p>This was Chapter 2 and basically summarizing in what direction the story would head towards! I have the plan for the whole story ready, and believe me, it's very well researched and edited. all i need is some motivation to upload them! :D enjoy Reading and do review! :)<p>

love, SRRDK. 3


	3. Chapter 3 The Outcome

A/N: Well, I think I should inform you, my lovely readers, that I am from India. And the inspiration behind the story is actually very lame. I watched an Indian documentary/movie about the palaces in Rajasthan, India and before that, I was like totally into reading lots of Dramione FanFictions. So eventually these star couples starred in my dreams and here I am, basically translating my dream for you. So you see, the whole story is mapped over a good solid 43-45 chapters of SUPER ROMANTIC STORY WITH A DASH OF BOLLYWOOD SPICES. Ooh, yum. My mouth's watering already! Btw, I promise to have at least 1000 words per chapter filled with delicious content. (I don't really believe in having nonsensical fluff in middle of a romance story. Totally spoils the mood. :D)

Love, SRRDK. 3

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 3 – The Outcome<strong>

While Draco, secretly smirking to himself, slid into Professor McGonagall's chambers with his forms, right after Potter left, his friends were busy planning something very inappropriate for him, behind his back. Little did he know that this inappropriate gesture of theirs would make him forever indebted to them?

The whole week passed and in came Saturday breakfast with a lot of excited teenagers sitting at the edges of their seats, waiting for Professor McGonagall to announce the list of people going for their respective trips. This was probably the first time ever in the history of Hogwarts to have so many students come down so early for breakfast on a weekend. The students were all busy chattering away, and frequently glancing towards the teachers' table.

Finally their wait ended when Professor McGonagall stood up and headed towards the front of the dais with a scroll in her hand. It seemed as if ages passed away as she slowly strolled to the front.

"Oh, buck up old lady!" whispered Ron harshly. He immediately shut up because apparently the "old lady" heard him perfectly well, along with the other students, and gave him the eye. The students merely chuckled at his face, as red as his famous hair.

"Oh! Weasel Hair Glare! Shades up everyone! Too much red!" exclaimed Draco dramatically. At this, the whole of Slytherin house roared with laughter and Ron turned a deeper shade of red, but not because he was embarrassed this time.

"Silence!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall. "I have some important news for you. This is regarding the excursion trips you will be making in a month's time after your midyear exams. The forms that you have all submitted, was done on time, and for that I thank you." A round of applause followed right after she stopped. "However, there will be slight changes to your trips. Nobody has opted for Stonehenge; therefore that trip will be cancelled completely. The group you have chosen has been sanctioned by the Headmaster but very few of you had group members from other houses. Therefore, slight changes to your trips have been made. Terry Boot and Co. will go to the Bermuda Island with Astoria Greengrass and Co., and Padma Patil and Co., which means, Padma and group cannot go for Christmas Islands because far too many have opted for that. Susan Bones and Co. and Nevile and Co. would be heading towards Cairo as they wished, Sally-Anne Perks and Co. along with Justin Finch-Fletchley and Co. and Morag MacDougal and Co. would go for Christmas Islands and lastly, Harry Potter and Co. along with Theodore Nott and Co. Would be heading towards India as per their wishes. The number of students for each trip has been fairly distributed as the number of people you have in each group varies from 4 to the maximum number that is 8.

"Now, each of the trips will have two to three assigned professors for your care-taking. Bermuda Island will have Professor Flitwick, Madam Pince and Professor Slughorn. Professor Slughorn has temporarily come back to Hogwarts only for the trip as it needed a Professor to guide the Slytherin students going for Bermuda Island. Moving on, Cairo will have Professor Hagrid, Professor Trelawny and Madam Hooch; Christmas Islands will have Professor Lupin, Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout; finally, India will have Professor Snape and myself. Any more questions? If not, kindly go to the area where the name plate of your trip floats." With a swish of her wand, four name plates appeared in front of the four tables. "You will have a pre-trip talk with your assigned professors."

There was a lot of shuffling of the feet and chattering amongst the students as they made their way to their respective tables. As Harry and his friends approached their table, they stopped dead on their tracks when they saw Draco Malfoy and three other Slytherins sitting there already, with evil smirks gracing their faces. Before Harry could bring up his lower jaw to question them, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and began.

"So, both of your groups will be going for the month long trip to India and I couldn't think of a better opportunity for inter-house unity amongst the two rival houses." The students snorted at the mere idea of it. "However," she continued, "looking at the sheer impossibility of that happening, Professor Snape and I have come up with a brilliant plan that will make sure that the results are desirable for the betterment of the whole world."

"Right! It still seems bloody impossible to me," snorted Ron in a very disgusting manner.

"Mr Weasley, it seems to me as if, these days, you have the knack of interrupting me with completely retarded and stupid comments of your own. I would suggest that you think twice before you say anything," said McGonagall, successfully shutting him up for good, as the Slytherins snickered at him for turning red like a beet root, again.

"As I was saying, let's move on to the more serious matters at hand. Each of you will now be given a travel package," she and Professor Snape flicked their wands as medium sized black duffel bags appeared before the students. "I want you to check if you have everything you need for the trip. In them, you will see medium sized, black leather bound notebook. Now touch it with the tip of your wands and your initials shall appear on them. This will be your diary, which you shall split into two parts; in the first half of it, you shall take down notes of whatever you'll be learning in your trip; in the second half, you can fill the pages with your personal thoughts, like a daily diary entry. Then you'll find some muggle items in it that you'll be needing for your journey; an umbrella; a pair of shades; a cap (and a hat if you feel like changing it); a sunscreen lotion that you'll need to put on your exposed skin while travelling that'll prevent sun burn. Now the most important of the lot is the black folder which has 3 pieces of parchment. The first one is the set of rules that you should all read because you'll need them for your activities during your trip. The second one is the list of important things that you should bring along with yourself for the trip and it'll help you pack up your things accordingly. The last one is the most important as it'll give you a list of academically related things that you need to bring for the... more _educational_ part of the trip. So, that's it and if you don't have any of these things please come forth to either Professor Snape or I and we will help. Any questions?"

And all she got for a reply from the students was a blink, each, of their eyes.

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><p>Chapter 4 has been mapped out already. :) Just need to brush up on the language and add an extra dash of spices. Oh! And don't forget to Review! Would love to hear your input!<p>

love, SRRDK. 3


	4. Chapter 4 The Stupefaction

A/N:

FUN FACT: One of my friends who was actually reading the story asked me about the titles. They're all one worded with the article "the" to show that the word is actually related to the entire chapter. In a sense it summarises what the whole chapter is about. The first one is kinda obvious when it's called "The News", obviously referring to the announcement. The second one is "the plan" where it refers to the plans by the G's, the S's and Draco's friends because that's what the whole chapter is about; their own personal plans. Third one is "the outcome", duh. Kinda obvious so I won't bother with the explaining. Now, the fourth one is "the stupefaction" cos throughout the chapter, people are shocked.

**CHAPTER 4 – The Stupefaction**

Yup. To say that the Gryffindors were shocked, would be an understatement. They had been doubly overwhelmed by the situation. Firstly, they were extremely shocked to realise that they would spend an entire month of free time and enjoyable days with Slimy Slytherins. Secondly, McGonagall was talking in a very rapid manner if you consider their speed of processing things, although Hermione seemed unfazed by her rapid speech and was furiously jotting down notes in her newly acquired diary all the while. Luna, as usual, looked as if she was never even out of her la la land and continued staring into nothing-ness.

Most of the Professors exited the hall along with a large majority of the students as they went to prepare for their days. It was Hogsmeade weekend and they wanted to prepare. Plus, they had a lot to talk about the trips.

Finally, Harry broke out of his stupor and asked the "gits", "What the hell do you think you are doing by ruining all our plans to have some peace without any slimy gits like you spoiling our fun? Why don't you just bugger off and crawl into your dungeons and tor there until you turn into actual slime balls and leave us the hell alone?"

"Well, Potty-head, our heart-felt apologies if _The Great Saviour_ does not get his school trip to be perfect. You see, we actually did not want to go where ever you guys opted to go. But then again, coming to think of it, where is the fun if there are no Gryffindorks to tease? So, here we are, going on the same trip as you losers. Maybe this trip can be a bit educational for you creatures to learn how to behave as normal humans. Because, seriously, the way Weasel here literally digs into his food is very disgusting if you ask me," finished Draco in a very snobbish manner, while the other Slytherins had a good laugh at dear Weaselbee.

"Losers, you call us? Do I recall that we were the ones who were on the Light Side of the battle, who eventually WON it?" said a very smug Hermione as she gave them a very Slytherin-ish smirk that made them have slight goosebumps on their hands.

"Well, dear Miss Prude, I think I can recall perfectly that even we were on the Light Side towards the end _who gave you the most important information that lead to Voldemort's downfall_," countered Draco taking a step towards Hermione, unknowingly.

"Oh yeah, we were the ones who gave you a place to hide your coward selves all the while before the battle!" exclaimed Hermione, also taking a step towards him.

"And we did all the chores in that filthy place you called The Headquarters of the Order when that stupid elf did all sorts of nonsense in that house!" exclaimed an equally enraged Draco as took another step towards her.

"He didn't do anything nonsensical! He was collecting clues for the destruction of the Horcruxes which were very essential!" shouted Hermione as she walked another step towards Draco.

"Well, he was stupid anyways! Just like the bushy-haired yourself!" said Draco, taking another step.

"He is not stupid! Then how did he manage to get most of the Horcruxes for us? And by the way, I would really appreciate if you talk about the house-elfs with respect. But I doubt you'd treat them any better 'cause nothing goes inside that thick skull of yours," smirked Hermione as she another step closer to him.

"Talking about things going inside the brain, I wonder how anything penetrates that huge mass of tangled bush of a hair," countered a smirking Draco coming closer too, almost three feet apart.

"Oh you don't have to worry about that _Draco Malfoy_," said Hermione as took a rather sexy / predatory walk towards him, "because it does enter my brain. Which is why I am the first in the class and you are not." She finished with a poke in his chest. Draco's eyes darkened slightly when she uttered his name just so damn sexily.

Draco leaned towards her face slightly and said very softly, in a husky tone, "Hmmm, in what class Granger? As far as I remember, I have been topping Potions, Arithmancy and even Transfiguration." He brushed a hair to the side of her face and continued as Hermione felt his breath on her face, "So that means, it is a tie, which says that even I am the top of the class. Which is exactly why I am the Head Boy."

Hermione momentarily faltered as she stared into those mesmerising pools of silver. She came back to reality soon after and replied in an equally hoarse voice, "Well then, we'll see who is smarter that the other on this trip. I'm sure there will be tests so we can conclude from there and see who is better than whom. Plus, it never hurts to see who can come up with better pranks."

Draco stared into those warm chocolate-y eyes and suddenly leant closer. Hermione thought he would kiss her now as his lips were only about an inch away from hers!

And all Draco did was slightly open his mouth and whispered into her lips, "Deal."

All the spectators of this conversation, stared stupefied, as their mouths went dry, and watched the arch enemies step away from each other and walked in opposite directions to their common rooms.

An innocent deaf by-stander would have thought that the two Heads were having a very mushy conversation filled with endearments. Well, I am sure that was the case, if their dialogues were a bit altered.

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><p><strong>Hermione's POV<strong>

_Oh my god. What the hell just happened._

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><p><strong>Draco's POV<strong>

_Damn. What the hell just happened out there._


	5. Chapter 5 The Conspiracy

A/N: I am so sorry for the delay. I had a lot of exams this past month! TOEFL, SATs, Entrance Tests, etc etc.. sigh. And now I am done! So I shall be quicker from now on! :D so enjoy this chapter! And don't forget to review and bless me so that with each chapter it gets better and better!

love SRRDK

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 5 – The Conspiracy<strong>

Soon after the heads stomped off to their rooms, the rest of the viewers who stood there gaping like fish; and reeled back to reality, after they fully digested what just happened. They glanced at each other confirming that the scene actually took place and shook their heads at the utter incredibility of the situation and slowly dispersed from the great hall, and walked back to their common rooms.

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><p><strong>Hermione's POV<strong>

She had walked back to the Gryffindor common room because she believed the Slytherin prejudiced nutcase of a pureblood Head Boy to go to the Head common room. During her walk to the Gryffindor common room, she felt as if the whole of the earth was shaking underneath her. She was dazed by this encounter with that _infuriating ferret_! Never had she stood so close to him where she could smell that _infuriatingly intoxicating _rich cologne of his. That closeness could actually make her feel the slight humming electricity between the both! _**ELECTRICITY**_! Were they THAT different from each other so as to be POLAR opposites? AND, how _dare_ he say that she was not the top of the class! She checked with McGonagall yesterday and she confirmed that Hermione continues to top the class. Idiotic ferret. She'll show him for once and for all who has more brains here. Yes, she was quite determined.

"Ms Granger! What a pleasure to see you after so long! Would you like to hear my latest opera song? I'm sure it will be to your liking," exclaimed the overly excited Fat Lady.

"No, I am sorry. I am having a bad day. Password is _fuego_," said Hermione wearily.

"Alright dear," said the Fat Lady opening the door with a concerned look, "probably another time."

Hermione smiled back as she climbed through the portrait door and entered the warmly lit Gryffindor common room. She sat on one of the couches in front of the fireplace, closed her eyes, wistfully took in the smell of "home" and smiled. For the first time today, she felt good. As her tense muscles relaxed she started to think about the kinds of "harmless" pranks that they can pull off and that be shrugged off by the rules of the school.

It had not been 5 minutes that the portrait door slammed open and in came a hoard of noisy Gryffindors.

"Can you shut the hell up? I am trying to think!" screamed an enraged Hermione as her train of thought got stopped.

"Hermione! We did not know you were here! And seriously, what are you doing here?" asked a super confused and equally dumb Ronald Weasley.

"Oh! I did not know a _Head Girl_ especially from the _House of Godric Gryffindor_ could not enter the _Gryffindor common room_! Enlighten me Ronald, why is it impossible?" said an extremely irritated and sarcastic Hermione.

"No it's nothing like that Mione. I was just confused to see you here. You hardly come here these days, so it was a bit unusual to see you here," said Ron meekly.

Hermione, feeling a bit bad for snapping at Ron said, "I am sorry Ron, I was just thinking of ways to prank those snakes on our journey! Well, I have some ideas already how to prank them but we would need more of it. Not only for the journey but prank them in the school a couple of times to show who has the ball in their court. Gather around," commanded the brave Gryffindor Head Girl with authority that could rival McGonagall's. The other team members of her travel trip joined her around the various chairs and couch as Hermione stood in front of all of them.

"Now, I recently purchased a blank muggle notebook because that's what I use to study and re-write my notes onto so that they are all organised and all –"

"You REWRITE your notes? Whatever for? Isn't jotting them once scary and energy-draining enough?" exclaimed an aghast Ron.

"Shut up Ron," snapped Hermione, "this is not the time to discuss such things. I shall explain to you later the importance of it all but for now pay attention. _Accio Notebook_!"

After a few moments, a small but thick notebook landed on her palms.

"Now, using this we shall plan out all our pranks, write down details of what shall happen so that everything is carried out properly, and goes without a hitch. In this we shall have a contents' page so that whenever any of us want to browse through. The notebook shall be divided into 2 unequal parts. One quarter of it shall be dedicated to the pranks we'll play for the next few weeks until out journey begins. The rest of the three quarters would be dedicated to the journey part. Now being the Head Girl, I was told of some of the details by McGonagall yesterday before she announced the results. So this is what she told me.

"_Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy," said a stern McGonagall, " Please have a seat while I brief you about some of the details I can provide you with about the journey itself which you can later on announce to the rest of the school and also advertise it properly. All of the trips will start on the same day. We'll be travelling by Hogwarts Express but there will slight changes. Each compartment will be dedicated to one of the trips so that the students can bond with each other and also the appointed teachers-in-charge can take care of some of the formalities on our way to King's Cross Station. This is more time efficient as well. For the first one quarter of our train journey, the teachers will be discussing important things with the Headmaster and the last quarter of it, they will again meet up. The middle part of the journey will be supervised and also complete some formalities. _

"_Now, after our arrival at the station, we'll all be taking the Knight Bus to Heathrow Airport –"_

"_What the hell is an Air Pot? Are we all to travel in a flying pot? Damn I should have gone to Durmstrang when mother asked me to. They atleast have a decent ship! Flying Pot! Only Hogwarts can manage to pull off such a joke!" said a disgusted Draco._

"_Language Mr Malfoy! And no, we will not travelling by POT for goodness' sake! Stop acting like a bambling baboon for one minute and think like the Head Boy you are," snapped McGongall._

_Hermione sniggered the whole time but shut up when McGonagall gave her the eye._

"_Now, as I was saying, from there on, the teams shall divide and go on their respective journeys via muggle planes. The details of the trip there shall be explained on the way to the station when the respective teachers-in-charge will get their time. Now that's all. You may leave if you have no further questions. And refrain from asking me stupid question Mr Malfoy. You will do good in paying attech in your Muggle Studies classes," said McGonagall and went back to whatever she was doing as the Heads walked out quietly._

"So, you see, we already have the "when's" and the "where's" of the plan. Now all we need are the "what's" and "how's"," said a smug Hermione.

"Wow Hermione, you certainly are the brightest witch of the age," said the dreamy voice of Luna Lovegood.

"Oh Luna! I didn't know you are here! How did you get in here anyway? Oh never mind. It doesn't matter. You're a part of the Dumbledore's Army and it'll be foolish not to have faith in you," said Hermione warmly to the blonde girl.

"Anyways," continued Hermione, " This summer I got a muggle laptop from my parents as a gift for becoming the Head Girl and I got Dumbledore to charm it so that it can work in Hogwarts and with endless battery and unlimited Internet. It is such a life-saver when it comes to making my study notes. Also it helps me be in touch with my other muggle friends. Back to the point, since all of you take Muggle Studies here, you do know what the Internet is, do you not?" asked Hermione. After receiving confirmation she continued, "Well then, I know lots of websites that can help us get really awesome muggle pranks to play on them. We can also use magic but think of the places we will be forbidden to use magic like in muggle areas. Therefore, we will need a good list of muggle and magical pranks. Probably we can ask help from the Weasley Twins," said an evilly smiling Hermione.

"Oh yeah! I heard the twins have come up with really good ones recently. We can also ask them to not allow Draco and his friends from buying anything from their shop. They probably will have to do with Zonko's but we'll have the best of both Muggle and Magical world," said an excited Ginny.

"Okay. So, now I shall make a space in this wall right here and I shall protect it from other eyes except for ours. Now step aside," commanded Hermione.

"_Crear un espacio," _chanted Hermione. Slowly a small part of the wall gave way to create a small space, big enough to keep a book. She kept the notebook book there carefully.

"_Mantener en secreto."_ Slowly a silver screen appeared and gradually it changed its appearance to look like the rest of the wall.

"_Contrasena es leon."_

"Guys, the next time we meet, I'll be the one who can retrieve the book and jot down stuff so it'll be better that way. Now I actually I have something on top of my head to declare war to those slimy gits, but before that, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna, please come along with me so that we can drain the Library's resources for pranks so that the slime-balls will have to look for their own. Come along, and till that time, the rest of you, can go buy me some gelatine from the new muggle shop in Hogsmeade, and we'll meet here after 2 hours. Come on! Chop! Chop!" exclaimed Hermione as everyone exited the common room and went in their own directions to do their jobs.

* * *

><p><strong>Draco's POV<strong>

_Damn. That girl is hot. No Draco you idiot! She's a muggleborn and a nerdy freak! And bushy haired at that one! But damn that hair is not so bushy anymore. It's a bit shinier as well. Plus she's hot as –_

Draco stopped right on his tracks as he realised he was walking to the Heads common room. _Nah, she'll be in there. I am not ready to face her yet. Better that I go to the Slytherin common room._ He nodded to himself and walked in the roundabout way to the dungeons.

"Anguis superbia," said Draco to the portrait leading to his previous common room. The snake in the portrait hissed and uncoiled to disappear completely and the portrait door opened. Just before he entered the common room, his eyes slid to the place where a small fountain was placed. It was a gift from Snape to The House of Slytherin for their contribution in the Final Battle. He smiled as he entered the common room, thinking of how beautiful it was.

He walked calmly to the dimly lit fireplace and sat heavily on the couch. Closing his eyes he reminisced the moment that the two Heads just shared and relaxed and slowly enough a small smile creeped. Suddenly he jumped out of his wits as her heard heavy footsteps of more than one people coming in. He looked back to see the rest of his friends look a bit surprised at his presence but quickly overcome their shock by inquiring his presence.

"Well, I thought I might as well come and discuss with you what we just saw. We have been challenged by those dorks to outsmart them. Well, it should be easy enough since most of them don't even have a single brain cell," snorted Draco.

"Well that's true! By the way, my cousin just sent me this amazing book he got from his grandfather on his birthday. It's just a copy, but trust me when I say this, it's wicked. It's the grandfather of all prank books and what's even better that you don't even need to buy things mentioned. All you have to do is tap on it with your wand and it'll appear along with a money bag and you'll have to pay the correct amount. I am sure it will be enough for us to last through the whole journey," said an excited Blaise.

"Yeah that sounds brilliant," exclaimed a surprised Pansy.

"Okay I have some details of the journey that I received from McGonagall yesterday so we can get an head start and then we can prank them the first time we are with them on the Hogwart's Express. Come on, let's go upstairs and discuss in more privacy," said Theo, as they all made their way upstairs to the boys' dorms to discuss it properly.

* * *

><p><strong>Hermione's POV<strong>

"Okay guys, since we have checked out most of the books we can find, I have placed a charm on them so that they cannot be Accioed by anyone and will automatically fly back to the Library once we're done with it the day before we start our journeys. Let us go back to the common room and we'll discuss our first "task"," said an excited and energetic Hermione as she literally skipped to the common with the others following her in a rush who also laden with books just like her. When they got back to the they saw that the rest of them were back with an evil looking white packet.

"Okay, time to do something fun," smirked Hermione as she rubbed her palms together with anticipation.

* * *

><p><strong>Draco's POV<strong>

As Draco and his friends were descending the stairs back into the common room, they heard a loud "EEEWWWW" right outside the portrait door.

Getting curious, they all went out to see what was happening and they were met with a horrendous sight originating from the fountain. The fountain was sprouting evil green slimy stuff everywhere. It also had a small note with his name on it, hovering on top of the fountain.

Draco snatched the note and opened it to read,

_Not-So-Dear Draco Malfoy, the Biggest Slime ball on earth and his equally slimy cronies,_

_Well, let the games begin._

_Lots of "love" from your worst nightmare that has already begun. XO_

* * *

><p>AN: thank you for reading! Please note that all the pranks mentioned are actually picked up from various websites! Thank you ! lots of love!


	6. Chapter 6 The Prelude

**CHAPTER 6 – The Prelude**

And the games have begun!

Gryffindor – 1

Slytherin – goose egg.

**Back in Slytherin common room…**

"Well, you have to agree that Granger is very smart. I mean playing with the word "slime", that was a stroke of genius. But I pity the fountain that Snape gifted us. That is a goner," sighed Blaise as he fell on the couch.

"Nah, a cleaning charm and an Aguamenti would take care of it. The more pressing matter right now is about retaliation," said a worried and a scheming Draco.

"Guys, I think it's time to get Plan 1 in action. If they think they're too smart after that "slime" joke, they should wait for what we have in stored for them," said a smirking Theo.

"Okay, give me the packet, I shall handle the Gryffindor Tower's supply, and Draco you take care of Granger's," said Pansy, as she stood up with the small bag. She opened it, and handed one small cube of those to Draco. Both of them charmed themselves with a disillusionment charm and walked in opposite directions. Ha! The dorks and the rest of their house will have an excellent surprise tomorrow.

**In a very chaotic Gryffindor common room…**

"Merlin's pants! Hermione, I never thought you had it in you to be so Slytherin-ish! Heck, you're more evil than they can ever imagine becoming!" laughed Seamus, holding his stomach tight, as were the other Gryffindors who were sitting around the fireplace.

"Yes Mione, I think this was the best way to start the competition. And I promise you that all of us will give our very best to beat those slime balls. We'll make you proud Mione," said Harry as he patted her back in an assuring manner.

"Thank you Harry! It'll be good if we have lots of people on our side. And I really want to show that blonde ferret who's the better one here," sniffed Hermione.

"Yeah, about him, what was that in the great hall with him? It looked like he was about to do… _that,_" said Ginny.

Hermione went slightly pink in the face before she reacted back saying, "Oh psht! Nothing like that happened! So, what now? Do we wait for them to retaliate or carry out the next one?" she asked, trying to subtly change the topic, but Ginny had seen her turning pink. She would ask her about it some other time.

"I think we should wait and see what they can do. By the way, I doubt they would have realized that it was us. They don't seem to have enough brains as it is," said Lavender, before bursting into peals of laughter as the whole common room followed suit.

**Next day…**

Hermione woke up at her usual time which was at 5 am, brushed her teeth and sat down at her table and studied piously for the next 2 hours before taking a shower, putting on her uniform, getting ready and walk outside her room to the Heads common room to grab some books she left there last night after studying. The first she noticed was a blonde fluff of hair on top of the head rest of the arm-chair. Ignoring his presence, she walked over to the table, picked up her books and walked out of the portrait door. What she did not do was pay attention to the blonde who was shaking with laughter. Tsk Tsk Tsk. She could have avoided her embarrassment for the rest of the week if only she would have noticed that.

As she walked around the school to get to the Great Hall, a couple of floors above it, she smelled something. Chicken essence! But she was far too away from the kitchens! Maybe someone carried food on this path like Goyle does all the time. She snorted at the very mental image of it. As she continued her way to the hall, the smell got stronger and got her so suffocated, that it made her want to gag.

"Hi Hermione! Do you know when we – oh! Why do you smell of chicken? Are you stealing chicken wings from the kitchens like I caught Ron doing a few days ago?" asked Luna.

"What? The smell is coming from me?" exclaimed Hermione. Immediately she did an exploratory search on her clothes and found nothing.

"Hey Hermione! Do you know any Gryffindor having a party recently? The whole of Gryffindor tower smells of chicken. It's like someone has hidden tons of it somewhere. Ron, was that you?" joked Harry.

"No! I smelled it the moment I entered the common room, and when I went back to my room to get my cloak, the smell was there too, which wasn't there before," said a confused Ron.

"Oh, I wonder what – "

"Oh look! It's the Gryffindorks," shouted Draco interrupting Hermione, as he appeared at the far end of the corridor, "So what new way are you thinking to make this school become even more miserable that it already is?" mocked Draco.

"I'll show you miserable you piece of –" said Ron, before Hermione stopped him from charging at them like a bear.

"Leave them Ron. They're not worth your time," said Hermione quietly, narrowing her eyes at the suspiciously smirking ferret.

"Oh! You too _chicken_ to face us Granger?" smirked Draco knowingly, emphasizing on the word chicken.

Oh that's it. Hermione caught what he meant and her head snapped up to see him look at her with an evil knowing gleam. She narrowed her eyes again as Mal-ferret walked away from that scene.

"Guys, I think I know who is behind the chicken smell," said Harry, looking at Ron, Luna and Hermione.

"Uhuh. Harry, I think I know who too. Let us go to Madam Pomfrey. She might be able to help us out," said Hermione, ushering the other two, "and Luna, can you help us inform the rest of the Gryffindor house to come to the hospital as well? Thank you."

To Madam Pomfrey they did go, but Madam Pomfrey was unable to help them as she suspected it was a trick from one of the best joke shops in the world, the Athlone Joke Shop in Ireland, that did not reveal any of its secrets, which is why she cannot find the cure. As a result, the entire Gryffindor house had to smell like chicken for the rest of the week and got bullied several times by many Slytherins and even some Ravenclaws for being so "chicken-like".

SCORE!

Gryffindor – 1

Slytherin – Uno!

Amidst all this, the Head Girl had planned, in her own mind, a mega prank for the Slytherins that they will remember for a long time. She gathered the whole of her group and laid out carefully what each and everyone had to do. Uh oh. The Slytherins should be worrying about themselves right now and not gloat about their success, because they aren't about to have the last laugh.

**In the Slytherin common room…**

"Oh man, Theo, that was pure genius! Payback for the slime with chicken essence! And that powdered cubes are awesome! For one entire week!" exclaimed Blaise as he started guffawing loudly again along with the others.

"Pansy, I am surprised you even knew about the water supply system. How did you know where the Gryffindor tower's supply was?" asked Draco once everyone ceased their laughter.

"Oh, it was one those mindless snogging sessions I had a couple of years ago with Terry Boot because the broom closet was becoming a hot spot and the prefects knew about it. So one day we just stumbled upon that place and since then that has become my favourite spot," said Pansy, smirking slightly.

"Okay, well, we do not want to know about your bedroom activities," said Blaise, shivering from the very image of Pansy's mouth eating abilities, "by the way Draco, how did you manage to insert the cube into Granger's shower head?"

"Oh, easy peasy. I went into her room when she was mugging her arse off in the library," said Draco.

"Well, now we have to worry about what they'll do next," said Pansy a bit worried.

"Don't worry Pans. We're the Slytherins for a reason. How worse can their plan be?" said Draco.

After a while, they all went back to their rooms and Draco headed for the Heads room. When he entered the common room he saw Granger on the couch playing chess all by herself. She looked up at him and focused back on her game. But it did not slip Draco's careful eyes that she had a certain gleam that had a very evil quality about it. He merely shrugged it off and went off to his room.

**Next day evening…**

Draco, after a torturous day at school with all sorts of rubbish classes, came back to the Heads common room and saw Hermione in her uniform, sitting at the table, with the same chessboard again focusing very intently at the board in front of her_. Honestly, how long does a person take to finish a game of chess?_ He thought to himself rolling his eyes. Thinking about showing off his skills a bit, he went up to her, ignored her single raised brow, looked at the board for a minute intently then moved his knight, and smugly said, "Check."

Hermione looked back at the board a bit surprised but then her lips twitched a bit as she saw the whole board a bit more clearly. Too bad for Draco, he just saw her surprised look and went upstairs to his room; otherwise he might have noticed that playful smile that was playing on her lips now.

Hermione moved her queen, and then she heard a loud boyish scream from the other Head's room, smirked at his stairs' direction, looked back at her board and said with smug confidence, "Double checkmate."

Gryffindor – 3

Slytherin – will be "stuck" at 1 for a while.

**Draco's POV**

Damn Granger and her brains!

He muttered a cleaning spell at the sticky toilet paper that was now all over him, his room and even his ceiling, but did not get cleaned up. Bloody hell. She had put an anti-cleaning spell on this. He walked into the common room to give Granger a bloody piece of his mind, but saw it empty, not that he expected her to hang around the place after he screamed out like some mad woman. His eyes were suddenly caught by a floating piece of note. Curious, he walked up to it. He saw his name on it and snatched it to read the following,

_Dear Not-so-dear Malfoy and his house filled with slimy gits,_

_Have fun cleaning the Goo that you got last week. By the way, if you notice the chess board after this, I would say, DOUBLE CHECKMATE._

_Gryffindor now stands at 3, whereas you'll be "stuck" at 1 for a while._

_Yours Charmingly,_

_The Worst Nightmare that has not even gotten bad. XO_

He looked at the board to see his king defeated. He smiled a bit at Granger's smartness, but then thought back to how he can outdo her this time, since it's now his turn. With a smirk he left for the Slytherin dungeons.

**Slytherin dungeons…**

Well, the whole of it was just noisy with all of the students exclaiming different versions of "eww" and utterly grossed by the sight of mangled wet tissue paper with gooey stuff dripping from the ceiling. Seems like they had a long time go before the whole place was cleaned up since it was announced that day at breakfast that they will have a room check on Sunday.

**Gryffindor common room…**

"Oh Harry, that was indeed a remarkable idea to soak toilet paper in soap water and stick them to the ceiling with a sticking charm that has an automatic timer upon any movement in the room. Man, how do you come up with such ideas?" asked Seamus, as he tried to smother his laughter, while speaking to him.

"The toilet paper was my idea, but Hermione improvised with the timer sticking charm. Quite brilliant, if you ask me. But, I don't know Hermione, do the toilet papers have a permanent sticking charm after they fall?" asked Harry.

"No Harry, but I have put an anti-cleaning charm. So they'll have to clean it all up manually, with the usual soap water and bucket, in a _Muggle_ manner, before this Sunday, which is the day after tomorrow, because it's dormitory check. They have about slightly more than 48 hours to clean everything up," smirked Hermione, thinking how humiliating it will be for all Slytherins to check things up the muggle way.

"Oh! Haha! That's it! There is no more denying that you are the smartest witch of the age," laughed Ron, as he clapped as well.

**Sunday evening after the room check, in Slytherin common room...**

"Disgusting! Ugh! I felt like a muggle in the past few days cleaning things up, it was so _disgusting_, and _gooey_, and _yuck_! And my entire body is sore scrubbing every inch on the dungeons and my dorm," exclaimed Pansy in a half disgusted and half painful manner.

"Theo, it's time we made those dorks feel like real dorks. But we'll only target Potter, Weasel, that whiny Brown girl, the Gryffindor Patil twin and that Finnegan lad. Leave Granger out of it, because she can NEVER be dork-ish," said Draco, but none of his friends missed the softening of his eyes when he spoke of Granger, and they all exchanged looks.

"I say Granger face the same fate as her "friends" because she was the mastermind behind all those plans. That wench will suffer at my hands," said Pansy determinedly, pretending to be very angry at her.

"NO! I said leave her out of it!" exclaimed Draco, his eyes flashing.

*Awkward*

"Oh! We left that loony girl," said Theo after an awkward pause.

"No! Leave her out of this too," exclaimed Blaise suddenly, getting slightly redder as he spoke, "after all, we're just after the Gryffindorks right? She's just a Ravenclaw" he added hastily.

Pansy and Theo exchanged looks while Draco was in his own world of brown whirlpool-like eyes, and brown bushy hair, with a slight smile on his face. Both Pansy and Theo sighed as they thought about how hopeless their other two friends were.

"So," quipped up Pansy, "it has already been a week since this all started and the coming 2 weeks we have our mid-year exams, not that most of us are very much bothered about it, and then another week to probably pack up our travelling luggage and then we're off. What are we going to do? We can't do anything during the exam period because Granger will become all feisty for trying to distract her from her precious exams. So we're just left with Monday that is tomorrow, which is the last day for classes as Tuesday we begin our exams. So, we'll have to carry out Plan 2 on Monday. Say what Draco?"

"Yea, Monday sounds awesome. We have Potions," said Draco with an evil smirk gracing his face.

Uh oh. Gryffindor boys, namely Seamus, Harry and Ron, will face something bad. Really bad. And humiliating. Tsk Tsk Tsk.

**Monday Potions classroom...**

"Today we will make the Gender Potion, that recognises what gender category you belong to, obviously," drawled Snape, "so I would like you to split into groups of three, preferably from the same house and same gender so that I can deduct points if you happen to commit any mistake. Now, group yourselves, the procedure is in your textbooks, and you have 2 hours to finish. Begin."

"Hermione, I wonder what gender Malfoy has since he's so girly and vain," sniggered Ron, along with the other Gryffindors who heard him, including Hermione, as they all looked at Draco, who narrowed his eyes at her, probably guessing what they were talking about. well, he'll show them that he'll have the last laugh.

"5 points from Gryffindor for giggling like retarded 3 year old girls. Now begin before I deduct more points," sneered Snape at them.

Hermione got together with Parvati and Lavender, while Harry and Ron teamed up with Seamus, Pansy grouped herself with some other Slytherin girls while Draco, Blaise and Theo got together. The rest of the class, we don't care do we?

They all managed to finish their potions properly, even without any explosion from Neville and Seamus, but Gryffindor lost 85 points because of our favourite Draco Malfoy and his prank.

What happened was something like this...

Out of nowhere, Ron, Harry and Seamus burst out exclaiming things like, "Oh! Now I get it! Hahahaha!". They then were doing weird things like turning pages in their book, scratching each picture and sniffing it; drawing a smiley on the paper and talking to it. 20 points got deducted for this episode. And then, when Snape asked them what the hell they were doing, their replies were something like this:

Ron – he just laughed after what he said, uncontrollably, and rolled on the floor (Snape hopelessly looked at him, and lazily deducted 5 points for being an utter moron)

Seamus – *sniff sniff*, have you been drinking Professor Snape? (10 points got deducted for his cheek)

Harry – well, he simply looked at Snape's "private area" and licked his lips, after scratching his butt and sniffing his fingers (Snape looked aghast at his actions and deducted 20 points)

Then the three of them continued to get berated by Snape for unruly and monkey-like behaviour. Ron continued laughing to such a point, his face was redder than his hair, tears streaming down his face, still lying on the floor; Seamus referred to Snape as "your honour" while Harry agreed with every word Snape just said by exclaiming "QUITE RIGHT, OLD BEAN". Snape had enough at this point. He screamed out so loud that Peeves, who was at the other end of the castle, would have heard him, would not be afraid of Snape as he is of Bloody Baron. By this point, the three of them snapped out of their "crazy selves" and stared at him, quite afraid for their lives; the whole class that was sniggering until now, except for Hermione, had also shut up. 30 more points were deducted.

After this scene, the rest of the class went on pretty normally until they were all dismissed. Draco was not quite satisfied yet, so he cast a tongue-tying charm on the three of them before exiting the classroom, smirking at Hermione.

That's it! Hermione knew he was behind the whole fiasco. Her friends were idiots but not to such an extent. When she met up with them outside the class, none of them could speak properly.

"Finite incantatem," said Hermione, pointing her wands at the three of them, and it was then that her suspicions were confirmed. She looked behind to see the blonde ferret turn around the corner, narrowed her eyes thinking, _you shall pay dearly for this Draco Malfoy. But only after my exams are over. Then I'll have a lot more free time to plan your demise._

Gryffindor – 3

Slytherin – 2 (finally!)

* * *

><p>AN: haha! hope you guys liked this! :) love SRRDK! :D


	7. Chapter 7 The Preparation

**CHAPTER 7 – The Preparation**

Exams came; those who did not grace one glance at their course books, were scared out of their wits, as if Lord Voldemort himself had risen back from the dead; those who were somewhat familiar with the pages of their books because of SOMEONE'S forceful nature (Hermione), were grateful for HER presence in their lives on the eve of their exams as they were on the day of the Final Battle (they were none other than The-Boy-Who-Lived and His Sidekick... okay that was just mean. It was Ronald Weasley, who sacrificed himself so that Harry could win over Voldemort in their first year), could somewhat do their papers; then there were those who worked very hard, and they looked either smug (that person is our darling Drakie-Poo), before and after exams, or paranoid for no reason (Know-it-all bush head), before and after the exams.

As for the pranks, nothing much happened except for one incident when Hermione had this brilliant idea of changing all of Draco's book covers (there were at least 20, she noticed, surprised), so that he would pick up all the wrong books to study. Not to mention, the moment she finished doing it, she packed her stuff that would last her for 2 weeks, including her books, thousands of notes (the ones she made), etc. and ran off to the Gryffindor Tower to stay with Ginny for the rest of the duration.

**GRYFFINDOR – 4**

**SLYTHERIN – 2**

When Draco found out about this, he became slightly irritated, and knew instantly who did this, as there is only one other person allowed in his room. But after a while a soft smile adorned his lips when he realised that Granger had left some of her "essence" in these books, and he softly ran his hands across the books, with a goofy smile on his face.

"Dude, is that your latest catch? It looks so boring and not at all sexy. Pray, tell, why you are _caressing_ a book?" drawled the deep voice of Blaise as he entered his room.

Draco quickly what he was doing, and started to put the covers back in its place.

"Blaise, very funny. I was just putting back the covers of these books in their rightful place," said Draco.

"Who changed them in the first place?" asked Blaise.

"Granger."

"Ah. No wonder you seemed so attached to it," said Blaise, a smirk adorning his face. Suddenly, Draco threw one of his thickest books at him. Lucky for him, he ducked quickly enough, and ran out of his room guffawing loudly enough for the nearby students walking outside his portrait door to be scared upon seeing a _laughing Slytherin._

* * *

><p><strong>Post Exams<strong>

Exams, on an average, were okay for everyone. What now everybody in 6th and 7th years were looking forward to, was the upcoming Hogsmeade trip, where they would get to buy their supplements for their upcoming trips and prepare for the journey.

"One book, _Mantras: Indian Enchantments by Vikram Sighal _available for 2 days in Hogwarts school itself as Flourish and Blotts are sending it directly over here; one Sun Shield, Bronze edition, available in Dervish & Banges; and 2 pounds of Ahuti Powder, also available in Dervish & Banges. All students must also bring along 1 set of formal robes for the welcome banquet and one for the final banquet and get one set of Indian Formal wear stitched up at Madam Malkins for another special evening. The rest of the things in the other parchment will be bought in India itself so bring along at least 8 Galleons," recited Hermione at the Great Hall, to her friends at the table, from the piece of parchment that they got some time ago in their travel packs.

"Okay, so after breakfast we can all go together and get the things we need at Hogsmeade and after we return we can purchase the book we need. Is that alright? And while we're in Hogsmeade how about we all go for lunch as well?" asked Harry. Everybody gave their assent, and after breakfast they all quickly went off.

As they walked off to this village, the group slowly dispersed with Harry, Ron and Seamus together chatting away about latest Quidditch news, Lavender, Ginny and Parvati together talking about the latest in fashion, and Hermione and Luna together talking about how their families recovered the dreadful war. Hermione and Luna, entered the huge store of Dervish and Banges and started to look for their Sun Shields and Ahuti powder. They got the powder and started to move towards the Shield sections when Hermione and Luna suddenly bumped into two muscular chests and got grabbed by strong arms as they were about to fall.

"I'm so sor –," said both Hermione and Luna together but words just stopped when they saw who they bumped into. In front of Luna was Blaise, and they just stared off into each others' eyes. In front of a very red faced Hermione stood a smirking Draco Malfoy.

"Forgot how to walk, eh Granger, after exam period? Too much information overload, I'm sure," said Draco.

"Actually I should be asking you that question Malfoy, since your head just gets filled with thoughts of naked girls and self-importance. By the way, are you stalking me?" asked Hermione, as she thought of what she did to Draco's books. It could be possible that this snarky Slytherin was out for revenge.

"Hey Hermione, we just saw this awesome -," said Ron as he entered the store with the other 2 guys, but stopped mid sentence when he saw Malfoy and Zabini. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE MALFOY?" bellowed Ron.

"Actually, Weaselbee, I'm here to buy things that we need to buy for OUR trip together. By the way, are you here to borrow money from Granger? Since this Shield here would be worth more than the "burrow" you've dug for yourself," said Draco snidely, and Blaise smacked him at the back of his head saying, "Shut up mate!"

The Gryffindors and Luna were momentarily shocked at seeing Blaise's reaction to what Draco said, as they expected him to laugh along with him, but Hermione recovered and said in a hushed tone, "That's low Malfoy. Even for you. And here I was thinking that you were turning a new leaf." She stomped off with her things to paying counter with her other friends.

Hermione was the last in the queue, so she was the last to exit when suddenly as she neared the exit door, a strong, warm palm grabbed her wrist and she felt a gush of warm air as someone whispered, "I'm sorry Granger. I promise I won't do it again."

Hermione looked up to see Draco walk out with Blaise by his side, and she was left standing for a minute shocked at his quick apology and also the jolt of electricity that passed her when he grabbed her wrist. Shaking her head of these thoughts, she walked back to Luna and they made their ways to Gladrags Wizardwear to get their robes. At some distance away from the shop, she saw Draco and Blaise entering it, and suddenly she thought of a way to make sure he knows that he's forgiven.

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><p><strong>Gladrags Wizardwear<strong>

The soft tinkling of the bell alerted the shopkeeper the entrance of Hermione and Luna, but Draco and Blaise, who were busy glancing through the racks for menswear, did not bother to turn around to see who it was. Hermione made Luna aware about her plans to make sure Draco knows he's forgiven and also how they'll prank them at the same time. Luna immediately agreed to help and they started looking for their dresses.

Luna quickly got hers which was beautiful and fit her perfectly; an electric blue floor length gown made of chiffon. It was strapless and had a heart-shaped neckline. It contrasted beautifully with her blonde hair and made it stand out. Hermione was in love with the gown at first sight. And Blaise had similar thoughts when he saw her come out of the dressing room, as his jaw hit the floor, his eyes popped out, and this suave Slytherin had never looked funnier to poor Hermione as she rolled on the floor laughing, looking at his expression. Draco found the whole incident amusing too, as he saw a giggling Hermione on the floor, and stunning Luna looking starry-eyed at Blaise, and Blaise with a comical expression. Luna got another one which was a black one shoulder chiffon dress with gold and silver borders. Blaise loved it even more. He walked towards her close enough and whispered in her ears, "It's very Slytherin-like. I love it. Let me buy you this one as a present. Hopefully we'll get to know each other better during the trip." Hermione silently gave her blessings as she watched them interact with each other. She smiled reassuringly at her thinking how Blaise was perfect for her and they even looked good together. Draco had no problems with this as long as his mate was happy, so had a small smile on his lips as he watched them. Hermione saw his slightly smiling face and thought of how pleasant his features were. She shook her head at the "ridiculous thoughts" she got and went on to get her clothes.

Now it was Hermione's turn to try on her dress as the boys had already picked out their outfits but were waiting for the tailor to come and take their measuring for the Indian Outfit, which the girls had already done. Hermione came out in a silver strapless mermaid dress made of satin and clung to her body in the right places. Draco lost at least a litre of his saliva drooling at her, absolutely stunned by her beauty while Luna and Blaise were giggling on the couch at his reaction. Hermione came closer to Draco and said, "So I guess I am looking decent enough, Malfoy."

Draco snapped out of his stupor to see the Gryffindor wear a Slytherin-worthy smirk on her face. He replied saying, "Decent? You look bloody gorgeous Granger. I believe the Slytherin colour suits you rather well."

Hermione blushed Weasley-Red at his compliment, but before she could reply back Draco came forward and softly said to her, "Granger. Let me buy this for you. Like an apology gift, for the past 7 years of tormenting you."

"No Malfoy, you dont have to, it's too expensive and - ," said Hermione, secretly pleased that he would do such a thing for her.

"No, let me. Please?" said Draco, as he pulled a very adorable puppy-dog face, that Hermione quite loved at this point.

"Su – sure, Malfoy," stuttered Hermione and rushed into the dressing room to change back.

"Luna, my mother sent me another dress already, so I wouldn't need to get another one. So I'm done here. Now we just have to return tomorrow to collect our Indian outfits," said Hermione as she came out.

"Sure Hermione. By the way, the plan for HIM. Remember?" said Luna in hushed tones as Draco made his way with the package. Hermione swiftly picked up something she kept on the couch and plastered an innocent smile as she thanked Malfoy and took the package from him.

"By the Malfoy," said Hermione as he was about to turn about, "your hair is quite messy and your tie is not done properly." She walked closer to him, their faces almost touching, "Here, let me," said Hermione huskily as Draco felt himself loose in those chocolate brown orbs. She slowly ran her fingers through his silky blonde hair (she noted quite enviously) and placed what she picked on earlier from the couch. She slowly ran her fingers down his face to his neck (Draco inhaled sharply at this point), and fixed his tie for him as she looked into his melted silver pools of eyes. She leaned in and whispered, "By the way, I forgive you for what happened earlier." She smiled at him and walked out of the store with Luna, before he could arrange his thoughts to make a coherent reply.

"Drake, we have to come tomorrow to pick up our Indian outf – WHAT THE HELL?" screamed Blaise, and promptly fell on the floor laughing, pointing his finger at a very confused and irritated Draco. The shopkeeper came rushing to see why somebody would laugh so loudly in her store when she saw Draco and gave him a couple of whacks as she shouted at him after seeing that he has worn a black lace-y thong on his head. When she retrieved it, he was horrified at first and then confused as to how it landed on his head and then, when realisation dawned on him, he swiftly turned towards the direction of the window to see a giggling Luna and Hermione outside the shop. He inwardly liked the fact that Hermione could be so bold and just so BLOODY SMART, but he flashed his signature growling face as Hermione mouthed "one up!" to him. He took his wand out of pocket and slowly moved it across his neck, while glaring at her. Hermione straightened up a bit at this, as realised that it his turn now to get revenge, and walked away with Luna over to Scrirenshaft's Quill Shop to buy the rest of her travelling requirements.

**GRYFFINDOR – 5**

**SLYTHERIN – very angry "two/too"!**

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><p><strong>Scrirenshaft's Quill Shop<strong>

The smell of fresh parchment and ink entered Hermione's nostrils and she founds herself lost in this world of stationary. She walked through the aisles and picked up all her necessary stationary when something caught her eye - abeautiful white peacock feather quill, with the body encrusted with small tiny crystals, and a silver nib. It was the most beautiful quill she has ever laid her eyes upon. Her eyes slid to the price tag, her face become all gloomy as let out a groan. 120 galleons. She sighed heavily.

A few moments ago, Draco entered the shop with Blaise and spotted Granger. He moved to talk to her but saw her lost in her La-La Land holding a beautiful quill. He saw her dejected expression as she put down the quill and walked away. Draco knew why she was upset, swiftly picked up one of the quills and purchased it at the counter before buying the rest of his equipment. He then walked towards where Granger was, collecting parchment when he stopped 10 feet away from her, pretending to be interested at the things near him. Hermione turned around and let out a small squeak as she saw him. He looked up at her gave her an evil smirk and walked away from her.

She let out her breath that she did not know she holding and continued looking for more parchement, when somebody grabbed her shoulder from behind.

"EEEAAAAAHHHHH! Get away from me you jerk! Go! Go! Go!" screamed Hermione, thinking it was Draco, and hit "him" a couple of times with a huge book that she was holding.

"Mione! What the hell? It's me! Ron! I just came here to call you for lunch! Everybody's at Madam Rosemerta's. Okay now STOP HITTING ME!" screamed Ron at her as he tried to duck her bashing.

"Oh, I thought you were someone else. Sorry," said Hermione sheepishly, as she blushed at her paranoia. She looked up when she heard a male chuckle, quite melodious as it sent shivers down her spine, to see a very gleeful Draco with an amused Blaise standing beside him. The whole shop went quiet as they heard Draco's magical laughter. He recovered to look at Hermione and mouthed, "ONE UP!" and walked towards the door with Blaise at his heels, giving one last "goodbye look" to Luna.

And all Hermione could think about, standing there with her mouth open, was how absolutely handsome he looked when he laughed and smiled, especially with his eyes turning molten silver with such warmth that could warm up anyone in freezing cold winter. And she also was a bit ashamed of herself when she got tricked by no trick at all. Very smart and Slytherin-like.

The bell near the door tinkled and Draco walked out with his friend, feeling quite victorious.

**GRYFFINDOR – 5**

**SLYTHERIN – 3**

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><p><strong>Luna's Outfits and Hermione's outfit will be written on my profile page. :)<strong>

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><p><strong>Coming soon - <strong>Chapter 8 - The Journey.

Get ready for some ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS MOMENTS as Hermione and Draco continue to have their battle of wits and at the same time, unknowingly fall for each other. :)

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><p>AN: hello! so sorry for updating so late! but my university has started and right now, my bigger worry than World Peace, World Hunger and Global Warming is my exponentially increasing Homework pile. sigh. :'( i'm so sad. but anyways, Read and Review please! i was quite upset to see no reviews since the last time. :'( i need to know if the story is nice or not. so if you guys dont like it, then there's no point to writing, right? :) anyways, have fun! and hopefully, i shall write the chapter 8 soon too!


	8. Chapter 8 The Journey

A/N: Hello readers! I'm so very sorry for the very late update, but i had a lot of school work, and i was super busy with university! I'm not gonna be able to upload anything for the next 2-3 weeks because i'll be having my exams, so i hope you'll forgive me. to make up for the super long time, i'm uploading a super long chapter! i hope it'll be to your satisfaction, and well... enjoy!

P.S. SOME REALLY JUICY DRAMIONE MOMENTS IN THIS CHAPTER! XD

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 8 – The Journey<strong>

Day 1

Everything had been bought that was necessary for their trips, everything had been packed, but the Gryffindor common was unusually chaotic on the day of their departure, despite the thorough packing they had all done with the "help" of Hermione's "List to pack" and her incessant nagging to finish all of their packing at least 2 days before THE DAY.

"HARRY! RONALD! GET YOUR BELONGINGS RIGHT THIS MOMENT TO THE COMMON ROOM OR ELSE I'LL COME AND HEX UR ARSES OFF INTO THE NEXT CENTURY! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE IF YOU DELAY ANOTHER SECOND! SEASMUS IS ALREADY HERE! NEVILLE AND THE OTHERS LEFT HALF AN HOUR AGO! **COME DOWN HERE, RIGHT THIS INSTANT!**" screamed a raged Hermione.

"What about the girls Hermione?" replied Harry, as the boys ran down the stairs, before Hermione turned any more scarier than she already was.

"Putting on make-up as if going for a catwalk," said an exasperated Hermione.

"Catwalk? McGonagall's in her animagus form for the trip? And why only the girls? OH MY GOD! IS MY SISTER AND HER FRIENDS ANIMAGI TOO?" said a shocked Ron.

"Honestly Ronald," said Hermione as she whacked him, "It's a muggle term for a fashion show. Like a beauty pageant."

"Ah. I see. So we're having a pageant? Wait. Hold on. There's bikini competition as well right? BLOODY HELL. GINNY! YOU WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY PAGEANT! I'M PUTTING MY FOOT DOWN! I FORBID YOU TO REVEAL AN INCH OF YOUR SKIN!" said an enraged Ron.

Ginny entered the common room that moment, and before Hermione would loose her patience again, she punched her brother in the arm and said, "Shut up Ron! There's no beauty pageant, moron. (Ron calmed down a bit at this)Hermione was just using an analogy."

"Ana- WHAT?" asked a befuddled Ron.

Everybody just sighed and exited the common room with their luggage.

**Hogwarts gates**

"It is 5 minutes before the carriages leave. Theo have you brought that prank book? (_Theo nodded in affirmation, as Draco whispered that part of the dialogue in his ears_) Where the hell are these Gryffindorks?" said Draco, impatiently, pacing back and forth staring hard at the entrance, as if willing the walls of Hogwarts to make those chickens and Granger appear in front of him.

"Tsk tsk. Language, Mr Malfoy. You have to set a good example of the values that the House of Slytherin upholds," said Snape silkily.

"Like partiality? Well, Severus, you're the epitome of it. But don't try to instil that value into him. I expect better from your godson," said McGonagall as the approached the group, slightly smiling at Draco.

Draco blushed as he remembered Granger saying something similar to him. He nodded slightly in McGonagall's direction, which caused her to beam in pride at him. Snape did nothing but raise one of his dark eyebrows and rolled his eyes.

Suddenly they all felt the ground beneath them quaking.

"Is that a - ? Do you feel that?" quivered a scared Pansy.

"Yea. Draco, do you believe - ?" asked Theo something, but got interrupted when all of them caught the sight of floating trunks moving quite rapidly towards them. It halted before it reached them and dropped in a soft thud. Then they were greeted with the sight of the Gryffindors running and laughing as Hermione seemingly chased Ron.

"Ron! Give me back my pouch! It has all my books in it! Ron! RON! RONALD!" screeched Hermione as she ran after him.

"Mione! Seriously! I'm doing you a big favour! This is vacation time, and I forbid you from studying. You're here to enjoy and not spend time with these God damned books!" replied Ron seriously.

"But Ron! I can't live without my books! Please!" begged Hermione as she tried to catch up with the fast Gryffindor chaser.

"You'll live Hermione! Like literally! These books gave you no social life at all! Nada. Zilch" assured Ron, as he came to a stop in front of the crowd, keeping the pouch away from Hermione's reach.

"Ron! Give them back to me right this moment, or else I won't hesitate to castrate you and slice your appendages to feed Snape's dog!" screamed Hermione as she started to lose all her patience with him, apparently not noticing Snape who stood right behind a huge and bulky Ron. The Slytherin boys, on the other hand, flinched at her threat and covered their private parts; even Snape's hand twitched a bit; and an amused McGonagall caught all of these movements.

Snape stepped out behind Ron and said, "Miss Granger, I assure you that I don't have a dog. But I'd suggest you use someone like… Fluffy maybe." Snape smirked as he saw Ron pale. He quickly handed the pouch over to Hermione, quite scared for his life.

"And by the way, Ronald, these are not academic books. They're for pleasure reading," said Hermione, self-importantly.

Ron snorted at this and said, "Pleasure reading? Like the 4000 pages book one you finished in a single day during our second year about magical insects?"

Everyone laughed including McGonagall, but Snape just smirked as he saw Hermione blush.

"No Ron! They're just muggle novels, like by Jane Austen," said Hermione heatedly.

"Jane Austen's not a muggle. She was a pureblood, but a squib. She actually happens to be related to Pansy. Something like her great great great great aunt or something," piped in Draco.

Hermione looked up in surprise because that information was new to her and also because Draco was talking to her. "Wow! I didn't know that," said Hermione as she started planning to research more on Pansy's family.

"Bloody hell. Harry, Hermione doesn't know something. This is happening far too frequently this year. I think something's seriously wrong with her. Do you think it is information overload in her brain?" said Ron in a stage whisper, and this caused everyone to laugh at her expense once again.

But before Hermione could retort back, McGonagall cleared her throat and said, "Alright, settle down students. We have a couple of instructions to give, so please pay attention. There will be three parts to the briefing about what to expect in this excursion trip. We'll begin with the first part, and it's essential that you listen to it because it's relevant for the rest of your journey. Now, we have booked three carriages for you to travel to the station. Each carriage will carry four students. Now, you do not have the liberty to choose which carriage to choose because you already have been grouped by Professor Snape and myself, so as to encourage inter house unity (everyone including Snape snorted at this). As I was saying, the groups are as the follows. The first carriage right in front will be occupied by Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Parvati Patil and Theodore Nott; the second carriage will have Lavender Brown, Ronal Weasley, Seamus Finnegan and Pansy Parkinson; the last carriage will be taken up by the four of you, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood. Now off you, and Professor Snape and I will meet you at the platform directly."

After the briefing, most of them trudged to their respective carriages, tied their luggage to the top of it, and plopped on their seats with a heavy sigh, clearly not so happy about their seating plans and group arrangements. The only exception to this seemed to be Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, and Luna Lovegood, who were truly ecstatic. The others were only partially happy.

**Carriage Ride**

Carriage number 1.

The boys were talking something about the latest in the Quidditch world when they suddenly heard a loud "gasp" followed by a high pitched squeal. Lavender's eye had apparently caught the name of the reading material that Pansy had in her hand.

"Is that the latest Witch Weekly magazine?" squealed Lavender.

"Yes it is," said Pansy curtly, a bit surprised by the attention she received, as she expected it to be a silent journey.

Lavender ignored the cold civility in her voice and said, "Have you seen the latest fashion in robes at Madam Malkin's this season? It's so gorgeous. Here, let me show you."

She made Ron to scoot over to Seamus's (her current boyfriend) to show her the images. And this is how, ladies and gentlemen, the two girl bonded over the carriage ride to become very good friends for the coming years. Fashion is like a religion to these girls; they believe in the same.

Carriage number 2.

The girls had similar discussions going on as the previous. Fashion definitely was a religion for them. The boys, Harry and Theo, also had a civil conversation about Quidditch. They first formed a truce and the chatting began. But apparently their conversation was more of a debate since they supported opposite teams. Harry was for the Cannons and Theo for the Falcons. Ah. But they were surprised how fun their "bantering" was.

Carriage number 3 – the one you're most interested about, I'm sure.

The seating was interesting because Blaise, when he entered the carriage, took a seat right next to Luna, as Hermione and Draco were busy talking to the professors outside about extra precaution and regular head counts. When Hermione entered the coach, she was surprised to find Blaise and Luna already conversing animatedly. Blaise upon seeing Hermione enter the carriage started to say, "Do you mind - ?" with a perfectly practiced puppy dog face that melted Hermione's heart.

"No it's not a problem at all," smiled Hermione at him and placed her palm on his knees. Draco saw this "skin contact" and turned a bit possessive as he glared at Blaise.

From the corner of his eyes, Blaise noticed this and inwardly smirked and as took Hermione's hand and placed a kiss upon her knuckles, making her blush madly.

An audible growl did escape Draco's mouth but he disguised at as a cough, when Blaise raised his eyebrow at him. He sat down and the carriage jolted as it started moving. Luna did not seem surprised at all at Blaise's open flirtation, because apparently when Draco and Hermione were outside, Blaise told Luna of Draco's "madly in love" state and both planned to bring the two together, as even Luna told him that Hermione was quite attracted to him but was too proud to admit.

"So Granger. What are your plans for the future, after Hogwarts?" asked Draco as he sat next to her, his left side, warmer than the right, and he was sure, he was pink in his usually pale face.

"I was thinking of putting up a law firm in the Wizarding World and defend all forms of creatures and people," said Hermione, smartly.

"How about humans? They need someone to defend for them?" asked Draco.

"Well, if you would have heard correctly, I said ALL forms of creatures AND PEOPLE. So obviously, humans are a part of them," said Hermione slowly, as if trying to explain what a ball is to a one year old.

Draco frowned at her subtle insult, but shrugged it off as he asked, "But wouldn't you need money to establish a firm?"

"Yes. I have ample. How, you ask, I shall tell you but it seems, we are here already," said Hermione as she pointed outside the carriage. Draco was surprised at how fast they arrived.

As Draco got up to leave, he surreptitiously picked Hermione's pouch and pocketed it. Luckily only Blaise was the one who was looking him, so he winked at him and walked on as if he was innocent.

**Train Journey**

"Now, that all of you are here, we can begin with the second part of the briefing. And please stop fidgeting Mr Weasley. You're distracting me. From this point onwards, I shall start giving and taking points from each house, if any such situation arises," drawled Snape as he stared down a shivering Ron. "For the journey, the Slytherin compartment would be ours to share. The bogey has different compartments, fit for 4, so all of you will remain in your present groups. Now, shoo, and take your seats in the train, we'll see you half an hour into the journey in your compartments," said Snape, and left the place with Professor McGonagall following him, discussing something in hushed whispers, that the students didn't bother playing attention to.

Hermione and her "carriage-mates" followed her lead into the compartment, kept their luggage in the luggage rack above their heads, took their seats, when suddenly Hermione jumped up from her seat and exclaimed, "My Book pouch!" and rushed out of the compartment. Draco followed her out of his seats. Right when Hermione was about to reach the bogey door, she felt a familiar warm palm, wrap around her wrist. She was about to turn around to ask him why he stopped her, when she found his other arm literally "snake" around her waist. _How fitting._ Hermione stiffened further when she felt his rock hard chest and abs (that were stylishly covered by his sleek black suit) press up gently behind her.

"Hermione, I'll not always be around to pick up what's yours or what's left of you, lying around. I wish I could, but you should still be more careful," whispered Draco in her ears. She closed her eyes the moment her name rolled out of his mouth, like a sweet caress. She felt his hot breath on the nape of her neck while he spoke to her. It sent shivers down her spine, but she liked all the same. Suddenly she felt the cool and smooth fabric of her drawstring pouch, and she opened her eyes to see her and his hand intertwined. Her cheeks tinged a lovely shade of rose when she was again conscious of each and every part of her body that was connected to his. His arms left her, and slowly as they first held her, and as gently like a scraping of a leaf. She turned Weasley red when she realised, she loved being in her previous state. She loved being in his embrace.

She turned around to see him gone, and she walked back to her compartment after collecting herself. When she approached er seat, Draco flashed her a very charming wink, and BAM! Came back the lovely shade of pink on her face. But this time, Blaise and Luna were busy drowning in each other's eyes, thus did not notice their interaction.

"So Granger, care to tell me how you have at least a million galleons ready to set up your firm?" asked Draco casually, as if nothing happened in the last 5 minutes. This got Blaise and Luna back from their love-land as curiosity took over them.

"Well, for that to be explained, you'll have to bear with me while I tell you the history of my family. My grandfather was the founder of Granger Groups Ltd. which is a huge multi-billion group that deals with publishing books and stationary manufacturing. My father was the heir to the group, after grandfather. But after he met my mother, he fell in love with her and he left everything to study dentistry with her. I'm sure you guys know what that is, because you are all in my muggle studies class. Anyways, his younger brother took over the reins of the company and a few months ago, when he died, as a result of a mass death eater attack in London, my father became the sole heir. But after my parents died in Australia, my grandmother somehow found me, introduced herself, said that she loved my parents a lot, despite my father leaving everything behind for my mother. She said that now the future of the company is in my hands. So I was thinking to sell the company at first, but somehow I haven't been able to do that and I don't know why. Maybe I have not been thinking properly about the whole ordeal. So as soon as I graduate Hogwarts, I'll see what I can do. So there," said Hermione.

"Well, Granger, I have a question. Is the company still doing well?" asked Draco.

"Yes, one of my friends is handling the company while I'm away and it's doing quite well actually," said Hermione.

"Well, if you ask me, I think you should continue to be the owner of your group. See, it's not only the initial part of setting up the firm that'll require galleons, but for a certain period of time, until you are well established. It's good if you have your feet in different places at one time. It's a safer option. I would know because I'll be soon taking over Malfoy Groups (MG) and we have many companies under the group. But that's not what I'll be doing all the time. Even I was thinking about becoming a lawyer, like you. But I'm not sure actually," said Draco.

"Ah. Interesting. I have heard about MG of course, and I always saw you as the business type. You'll do well I think. With your reputation, and power, it'd be an easy task," said Hermione, surprised at herself for complimenting Malfoy. And if Draco was surprised by her compliment, he didn't show it.

"Yea well, I wanted to do something on my own. Start from scratch. Build my own name, you know? Well, but this is not the time to think about it. I still have time to think about it," said Draco, as leaned against his seat.

"So, Hermione, what kind of books do you read?" asked Blaise, " I'm quite an avid reader but it's this idiot who hardly ever allows me to read, because I have keep listening to him drone about how ravishing you lo- mmmhphhhmnnnph!" Draco shoved his handkerchief in his mouth before he could complete his sentence. Hermione did not understand what was going on between the two Slytherins, but answered Blaise's question after Blaise glared at Draco for shoving HIS handkerchief in his mouth. The four chatted away for the next couple of hours or so when Snape and McGonagall entered the compartment, demanding everyone's attention. Blaise, inconspicuously, whispered something in Draco's ears, which resulted in Draco smirking evilly while looking at Pothead and Weaselbee.

"Alright students, now this part of the briefing involves what would happen next. But before that, let's take attendance, just to ensure everyone's here. Ahem. (_Draco put a non verbal spell on both Harry and Ron, inconspicuously that moment, and waited for the scene to unfold)_ Parvati Patil!" called out Professor Snape. Check.

"Pansy Parkinson!" Check.

"Lavender Brown!" Check.

"Ginny Weasley!" Check.

"Seamus Finnegan!" Check.

"Blaise Zabini!" Check.

"Draco Malfoy!" Check.

"Hermi-!" Check.

"Luna Lovegood!" Check.

"Ronald Weasley!"

"ME! ME! IT'S ME SIR!" squealed Harry, as he jumped up his seat. "Oh, wait, it's you Ron. Sorry," he smiled sheepishly and sat back down. Ron raised his hand, kind of amused by Harry's antics. Check.

"Harry Potter!"

"ME! ME! IT'S ME SIR!" squealed Ron. But suddenly got confused as to why he jumped up. Even Harry was confused at their behaviour.

"Well, I did not know you both had an identity transplant. Thanks for the laughs, baboons. Alright, Professor McGonagall will take over now," drawled Snape. Somewhere at the back of the compartment, the four Slytherins were silently chuckling to themselves, but Hermione's eyes caught the bewildered expression on her friend's faces and the giggling Slytherins sitting opposite to her. Draco sent her a "look" and she knew it was their doings. She'll get her revenge later on.

"Alright, listen up. I shall now tell you the plans for the next part of the journey. Upon our arrival at King's Cross, which shall be in half an hour's time, all of us will gather in front of our compartment with our luggage. Professor Snape will now pass on to you some drawstring bags with an extendable charm placed on it. You are supposed to put all the different pieces of bags into that so that you can manage it properly. The brilliant idea was suggested by Ms Granger during one of our meetings (_Hermione blushed prettily as Harry and Ron smirked at her)_ and obviously it is way easier to handle all pieces of luggage in that manner. Now upon our arrival at Kings Cross, Professor Snape and I will apparate you out of the stations to a place where there are no muggles. The Knight Bus will pick us all up from there, and we'll head to The Leaky Cauldron where we will stay for the night. During daytime you can have lunch there, or you can roam around in Diagon Alley, but you'll have to wear the arm band that we gave you inside your drawstring bags. It'll act as a portkey and send you back to your rooms at 6:30 pm for you to get ready for dinner. Okay, I see you all have your arm bands. Good. _Lignum Perfectius_. Right, now it'll be there on your arms until 6:30 pm. Oh and one more thing, I hope all of you have brought your travel kits with you that we gave you during our first briefing weeks ago? You'll need it during your journey. Alright sit back and enjoy the rest of the ride. We'll pull into King's Cross Station soon," said McGonagall and took a seat with Snape in their compartment.

"I know what you did Malfoy," said Hermione with a stern expression. But this is all she got for a reply.

"**Slytherin – 4."**

Right. So now Slytherin was only one step behind Gryffindor.

**King's Cross - Knight Bus - Leaky Cauldron**

Yes. Everything went according to plan as McGonagall and Snape apparated the students one by one to the place where the Knight Bus awaited. After another round of attendance taking and a very bumpy ride, they all arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, looking more dishevelled than usual, and Hermione's hair looking especially disturbed and she also adorned rosy cheeks with a slight smile. What most of the students didn't know that, at the back of the bus, while everyone was trying to concentrate on how to get a proper footing, one of Draco's arms found its way to Hermione's waist and held it firmly as his other arm strongly gripped the handle above him. He leaned against the glass pane of the bus with a very firm footing as he performed a sticky charm at the bottom of his boots. Hermione of the other hand, dug her face into the nape of his neck, smelling in his spicy cologne, as she gripped onto the shawl lapels of his jacket. She was pretty sure that even if she did not hold onto him, she would not fall. He would not let her fall. He would hold on to her. Wow. She trusted him. With her life.

The professors assigned them their rooms, where the girls in their own groups shared a room and so did the boys. Thus Hermione and Luna made their way to their room, with Draco and Blaise following them. Surprisingly, Draco and Blaise's room was right next to theirs and upon entrance they realise there was even a connecting door to each other's room. Hermione blushed at the thought of Draco entering her room, but quickly berated herself for thinking of such... perverted... thoughts. Well, one cannot help but drool and fantasize about his gorgeous self now, can they? Luna went into the bathroom to freshen up when suddenly the connecting door burst open to reveal a smirking Draco. Hermione blushed upon seeing him but quickly hid as she asked him irritably, "Hasn't anyone taught you manners Malfoy? Knock before you enter a room, especially when girls live in it. What if I was in the middle of changing clothes?"

"Well, then I'd be the luckiest man," smirked Draco, as he entered her room. Hermione blushed prettily and before she could open her mouth to form a retort, her eyes widened to see him mere inches away from her. She quietly breathed in his cologne, and was shocked when both his arms found their way to her back. He pulled her in close and Hermione put her palms on his chest. He breathed in as he nuzzled her hair and whispered, "Strawberries and peaches. Reminds me of home. My mother's shampoo is the same too you know? Well then, your second step to make your way into my heart has been successful." Somehow during his speech, his mouth found its way to the end of her jaw, right next to her ears. A tender spot it was, because she shivered pleasurably. He softly placed a kiss upon it and Hermione let out a contented sigh. He pulled back slightly and said, "What would you two say, to having lunch with Blaise and I?"

"Yes, that would be lovely, but I'm not sure about Harry and Ro-," said Hermione but was stopped when Draco put a finger on her lips.

"I heard them making plans with their own groups. I think it'd better if we mingle amongst ourselves, don't you think? Would make McGonagall happy," said Draco.

"Yes. We'd love to," said Hermione shyly.

"Alright, see you in 15," said Draco and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before he went to grab the knob of the connecting door.

"Wait, what did you mean by the second step? What was the first step?" asked Hermione, when she finally processed what he said earlier when he was doing... things to her body, quite unknown to her even.

"It happened way back in 3rd year Hermione," smile Draco and exited the room before she would ask more about the specifics. Hermione knew she did not intend to make her way into his heart, but now that she's already taken 2 steps, and she QUITE liked being with him (okay, liked A LOT!), what's stopping her. She smiled to herself as she proceeded to freshen up and inform Luna about their lunch plan.

Draco upon entering back to his room, found Blaise with an Extendable Ear in his hand and a knowing smirk on his face.

"Not now Blaise. Let me bask in my happy place for now. By the way, get ready. We have a lunch date with two beautiful girls," said Draco as he made his way to the bathroom to freshen up.

The four went out, had a lovely lunch at a posh restaurant, where Draco and Blaise insisted upon paying since they were of gentle breeding. The girls had no other option but to concur. After lunch, they roamed around a bit, went to meet George and Fred at their shop, and as the clock struck 6:30, they found themselves back in their rooms to get ready for dinner.

Dinner was a pleasant affair, with everyone chattering away amiably. Professor Snape cleared his throat to get everyone's and said, "Tomorrow at sharp 8 in the morning, I want everyone with their stuff lining up outside the Leaky Cauldron as the Knight Bus will arrive at that time. From then on, we will travel by muggle airplanes to reach India. We have actually booked the Wizard Airlines that is more comfortable for wizards, as you can perform magic without revealing about our world to the muggles. The staff will also be magical so you can perform magic if you wish to, but no violence or fighting is allowed. Plus, an alarm will go off if any of you perform magic in the flight. There will be serious consequences, and trust me, you do not want to know. AM I CLEAR?" barked Snape as everyone looked at him with fear clearly etched upon their faces.

"Also, before our arrival in India, there will be a briefing about how we would carry on with our journey to Rajasthan. Alright, those who have finished eating, may be excused to go to beds, we'll have a very tiring day tomorrow," said McGonagall as she stood up with Snape and they walked upstairs.

The other students quickly finished their dinners and went to their rooms to sleep their fatigue out.

Day 2

** Flight to India**

Next morning, things went according to plan and smoothly; not a single student was late to leave by the Knight Bus, and Snape inwardly smirked at how effective his "method" was. After a bumpy (and romantic ride for Hermione and Draco, and even Blaise and Luna this time) they arrived at Heathrow Airport ready for their flights. After a series of thorough checking of their luggage by magical authorities, they were about to board their planes, when suddenly Hermione remembered what she had to do. Smiling to herself she walked ahead of the others without any of them noticing her. She boarded the plane first, and inconspicuously "readied" the place for the arrival of the Slytherins. She already knew their seating plans so it was very easy. The plane's interior was similar to that of a first class section of any other muggle plane, except that there were very few seats, and they grouped in fours. _So we'll be with the Slytherin boys the whole time?_ Thought Hermione, but that did not really bother her, because she was used to it. She took her seat, and waited for the others to arrive.

The rest of the group entered the plane to find their head girl already relaxing in her seat right next to the window. They found labels on the seats indicating who was to sit next to whom. Draco, obviously was placed next to Hermione. _Well, well, well... this journey ought to be interesting now,_ thought Draco as he sat imagining rather provocative images of him and Hermione together. Little did he know that Hermione had left no room for romance in this part of the journey? So this is how things occurred in the next 8 hours of journey.

One hour into the journey, when everyone was served lunch, Draco's food suspiciously disappeared while he was talking to Hermione. Plus, he would have heard if the alarm had gone off due to usage of magic. What he did not know was, that Ron, who sat right next to him in the other group, was using a Funny Fork that was 25 inches long and was invisible. So anything that would come in contact with the "thorns" of the fork would also become invisible. So that's how dear old Ronald satisfied his hunger. Since Draco did not have a fully satisfying meal, he ordered a pack of potato chips along with Theo (whose food disappeared as well), but to their horror, they found THOUSANDS OF SNAKES CRAWLING IN SIDE! How fitting. *Snort* At the display of those horrible snakes, both Pansy and Blaise wanted to throw up so they hurried to the loo. But before they could enter the washroom, both let out a panicked scream because Pansy found a lingering Toilet Monster in the toilet bowl, whereas Blaise was met with the sight of realistic human poop that had been sprayed with fart smell to make it look authentic. Poor souls. They had to rush to the back of the flight to use the other restrooms. And just to make all of their days worse, especially Draco's, whenever any of them flirted with cabin crew, a fart noise erupted from their seats, making their situations very embarrassing. Draco quite loudly declared that it was not him. But that did not stop the whole of the flight from laughing at him.

To say that Hermione Granger was a very happy woman that day, would be an understatement.

**Gryffindor – 9**

**Slytherin – 4**

Yes. Hermione Granger was a very happy woman indeed.

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><p>Okay, there are some errors i am supposing, but i can't be bothered about it! I'll edit it at the end of it. as long as you get the meaning of the story, an basically, what i'm trying to say, i'm not really bothered. and as usual, REVIEWS ARE VERY WELCOME! :D<p> 


	9. Chapter 9 The Road-Trip

Alright, let me take a moment here to PROFUSELY apologize for the REALLY late update. God, I'm ashamed of myself. But apart from pressure from my university, I now have an Internship to bother about. Oh God, what I did, is completely unpardonable, but I hope, you, my lovely friends, will find it in your heart to forgive me after this installment. I really hope I can update sooner than I wish. This story is close to my heart for various reasons, and I have no wish to ditch it.

Disclaimer - J.K. Rowling rules. I'm merely a courtier. ;)

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 9 – The Road-Trip<strong>

Soft, soothing and warm evening sun rays streamed in through the plane windows, falling gently on Hermione's face that caused her to wake up but with a gentle smile gracing her lovely soft features. She calmly looked outside the windows to see a field of cotton wool soaked in flaming orange and gentle red tones. After returning fully back to consciousness, she realized that she had a weight on her right shoulder. She craned her neck to see a carefully trimmed mop of platinum blonde hair, falling gently on the nape of her neck. She felt a small smile tug her lips as she adorably gazed at this changed man sleeping soundly, his shoulder rhythmically poke her shoulders as he breathed. She felt a teeny weeny tinge of jealousy as she noticed how smooth and silky his hair was, effortlessly oozing style. Come on! A girl had every right to be envious! She turned her head front to see Blaise and Luna looking on at the couple with a knowing smile. Hermione felt a blush creep up her neck but stared back nonetheless rolling her eyes. As she felt some light reflect off Draco's hair, she looked out again to see a huge cloud setting an excellent example of the phrase, "every cloud has a silver lining." She gazed back at Draco's hair to see the striking similarity between the cloud and his head. "Silver," she whispered. Yes, for some reason, Draco's presence felt like the silver lining in her post-war life, that had been lacking all this while. But wasn't it too early to forget about everything that happened in the past? Especially between them?

But before she could further ponder over their situation, the cabin made the announcement of their arrival at Chatrapati Shivaji Terminal, Mumbai. Draco jerked open his eyes, scared from the sudden noise that came out of nowhere. Hermione and Luna stifled their giggles looking at his frantic disposition, while Blaise looked at him with an amused raised eyebrow and a half-smirk. He quickly collected himself, and put back the stoic expression that betrayed no emotion. He regally sat, with his seatbelt fastened, and waited for the flight to land.

The wave of strong heat even in the chilly month of December raised shocked expressions from the students, and immediately after exiting the flight, they removed most layers of their clothing, as much as propriety allowed. After collection of their luggage, they were all led by the professors to the arrival hall area, where there saw a huge signboard saying, "HOGWARTS". Under the signboard stood a plump Indian man dressed in casuals, with what seemed like a very jubilant smile. "Welcome to India! I hope you had a pleasant journey so far. I'm Mukesh and I am here to escort you to our hotel in Rajasthan."

The delight of being in a foreign country along with the contagious happiness radiating from Mukesh had their smiles growing by the minute. It was hard not to like him. The professors walked up to him and talked in lowered voices as the students busied themselves in checking out wide expanse of sweeping roads where cars seemed to be zooming past them. The bright sunrays glared back from the trees, shadows were scarce for those seeking shelter from the wrath, a slight hint of light mud to the side of the roads, a huge array of brightly coloured cabs and the bright beams of sun pouring in through the glass rooftop of the airport they were standing at, brightened up the place where they stood, making it seem so Indian. Just like its vibrant culture and its happy people who always were in the festive mood.

They looked back towards the professors and the Indian man, to find him enthusiastically nodding his head to Professor Snape, to which he warmly smiled back. The students really did a double take, seeing Snape smile so freely. But before they could further think in awe about what just happened, Mukesh said, "Alright students. Now would you kindly line up, and follow me into the parking lot where we shall board onto our bus. We'll be travelling on ground, therefore, it'll be an overnight journey. We'll stop four times, two for toilet and refreshment and two for lunch and dinner, respectively. We'll be travelling to what is famously called, The Pink City, Jaipur. It's the capital of the state of Rajasthan. More of its history will be told to you, along the way in your magical journey in India. Be assured, this will be the journey that will change your life. Now, come along. Follow me."

Hermione mentally smirked at change was already happening. With Draco straightening up and Snape smiling and Blaise flirting shamelessly with Luna, it was hard to believe anything else could surprise her. With a sigh, she picked up her luggage and walked along with the other students to the parking lot.

"Look Harry! Muggles have such magnificent buses!" exclaimed Ron and he bounced on his way towards the bus. The other students laughed at his childish antics (or his "moronic behavious" as Theo whispered into Blaise's ears) and boarded the bus with their luggage in hand. Inside All that could be heard was the chiming of the small crystals that hung on the ceiling of the double taker bus, because none of them dared to make the slightest noise that would bring them out of their stupor. The sight that the interior of the Volvo bus held was breath-taking.

The Gryffindors along with Luna took the bottom level and the Slytherins were stationed on the upper deck, since they had fewer beds up there.

Hermione grabbed her trunk and her magical pouch and settled herself beside Luna. It was time she was more open-minded and understand other people's point of view. Limiting herself to her own opinions would not benefit her in anyway. And she being the epitome of an ideal student would gather knowledge from anyone and anywhere. With that thought in mind, she walked towards the stairs that led to the upper deck when her innate "constant vigilance" mode became fully alert when she heard "Gryffindor", "fun" and "so sad" being spoken by suspiciously familiar voices. She peeked at the upper deck from the top of the stairs to see Draco and Blaise sniggering as quietly as they could manage, with Pansy smirking along with Theo, who shook his head at the two boys. As quietly as she could manage, she tip-toed back onto the lower deck and immediately communicated with all the Gryffindors using the magical coin they used back in Year 5. Everyone, almost at the same time, removed the coins from their pockets and nodded at Hermione for informing them about Slytherins' on-going plans to trick them. Little did the slimey gits know that they would be digging their own graves. _Or so the Gyffindors thought. Fate had some wonderful plans for both the houses._

Harry, taking the lead, announced, "Alright guys, I think to celebrate our first trip abroad together, let's have a party tonight for dinner. And everybody's welcomed including Mr Mukesh and the Professors. Does that sound good to you Professor Snape?"

Snape raised a delicate eyebrow at Potter, surprised he was talking to him. Maybe this was truce after the battle. They were on one side after all. _Maybe he's not so bad._ He nodded in accession while Professor McGonagall smiled kindly at Harry for his gallant behavior. Truly Gyffindor.

"Alright everyone! We'll start the journey, but no worries, you won't feel the inertia. It'll feel as if it's on solid ground with no movement. So enjoy the scenery everyone," said Mukesh and closed the door to the driver's compartment. The two professors took their seats/beds in the very front of the bus, and drew the curtains around them to have some privacy. The Gryffindors too, feeling a little jet-lagged retired to their seats, while the Slytherins cast a silencing charm around the top deck and began their discussions.

And thus began their journey in India.

"Dude, that celebration invitation seemed a little dubious to me. Noticed how they were exchanging smug looks at each other?" asked Theo, his Slytherin instincts kicking in.

"Yeah, even Loony looked weird, well more weird than normal," drawled Pansy, pretending to check her perfectly, magically manicured nails.

"Hey Pans, it's Luna, alright. Don't call her that," said Blaise, appearing a little more miffed than he should.

"Okay, the thing is, we all get the feeling that something suspicious is going on, and I tend to find out what it going to be. So who's with me?" asked Draco.

Getting an affirmation from his childhood best friends, they all began their plans to find out what the Gryffindorks were hiding.

Dusty roads, labourers, both men and women walked hurriedly to their workplaces or used bicycle to commute. Brick red city buses carried people to their destinations, cars of all shapes and sizes painted the busy streets of Mumbai colourful. Reaching the outskirts of the city after about two hours of incessant honking, abrupt turns and breaks, and slow crawl on the roads, finally the images of dusty and rustic scenic beauties whizzed past the tinted windows of the cool air-conditioned bus, which only the professors savoured.

Somewhere on the top floor Draco and Pansy were now taking their turns in eavesdropping on what the Gryffindors were doing. Blaise and Theo amused themselves with a round of Wizarding Chess.

Somewhere below the upper deck, Draco overheard Granger and Looney furiously debating about Nargles, the conversation not approaching a conclusion any time soon judging by how stubborn both girls were. Harry and the other Gryffindor boys were discussing the latest upcoming match of the Cannons vs the Kestrals, which Pansy really wished they'd stop. Instead she decided to listen in to Lavendar, Parvati and Ginny's discussion on Madam Malkin's latest Spring/Summer collection, which at least did not rot her brains.

Soon everyone was tired of their debates, discussions, eavesdropping and magical games, and they were back in their comfortable lounge chairs and enjoyed the scenes outside their windows and rested their jet-lagged minds and bodies. Before they all knew they actually napped for two straight hours and found Mukesh exclaiming at the top of his voice.

"Rise and shine bright lovely students of Hogwarts! We're taking a stop here in city of Surat, in the state of Gujarat, which is geographically placed right under Rajasthan. It's nearly one in the afternoon so let us have some lunch before we carry on with our journey. We'll be on road until the sun sets, so there will be another stop for dinner. And after than we'll take off because our bus would be hard to locate in the sky at night. Alright! Up! Up!"

Some were grumbling and some (Ron) had their tummies grumbling when they got out of the bus, but the moment their eyes laid on the restaurant, jaws dropped, eyes popped and breaths got sucked in chorus. In front of them stood a very modern yet grand restaurant with the letters "The Grand Bhagwati" emblazoned on top of the building. Still in awe, they followed the professors and Mukesh into the building.

After a very sumptuous meal, some burps that followed (mostly by the Gryffindor boys) which caused the girls and Slytherins to scrunch their noses in disgust, they got back on the bus ready for the last of their journey on road.

The Gryffindors played dumb charades with some Bollywood music playing in the background (thanks to Mukesh). The Slytherins went back to taking turns with eavesdropping but got nothing suspicious because little did they know that all the plans were made though a set of magical coins. After a few hours of random fun and eventless eavesdropping, they finally made their stop somewhere outside the city of Gandhinagar (the capital of Gujarat) for their dinner.

This restaurant made a less grand affair of their meal time but the fire ablaze in the middle of circle of low rise chairs was very warm and welcomed by the students for it was a surprisingly chilly night for such a hot day. Cans of butterbeer and Colas were brought out by the Gryffindors and (surprisingly) shared with the Slytherins, the Professors and Mukesh while they had their dinners with much laughter and frolicking. Mukesh entertained them regaling stories of his childhood making everyone roar in laughter. They were so engrossed that no one noticed a person wrapped in a Gryffindor scarf entering the bus quietly for a very devious plan to take place, and then slipping back to her place in the circle around the fire.

Soon everyone returned back to their bus, long after the sun had set into the horizon, bringing the energy level among the bus riders down too. Long after the conniving plan had taken place.

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><p>I know, you guys probably wouldn't <strong>review<strong>. But it would warm my heart if you did. I'd take it as a way to show that you have forgiven me. :')


	10. Chapter 10 The Destination

Much much apologies for the lateness in update! I was trying to graduate and I just did last Friday! I promise, I shall finish this baby of mine this year.

Love to you all! I hope you will like this update. :)

**CHAPTER 10 – THE ****DESTINATION**

With heavy hearts and heavily filled stomachs, the students groaned as they trudged back to the bus, ready to get some sleep after that filling but scrumptious meal. Dinner by the fire in India was unlike anything they had ever experienced, but surely now was not the time to ponder over its magnificence. All their minds were sleep addled and a rest was a must, especially after the emotionally and physically tiring day. The journey soon took off from where it was left, and soon everyone found themselves eagerly waiting for slumberland.

Whizzing past other vehicles and small establishments glittering in the dark, most of the travellers in the bus were fast asleep, save for a certain Gryffindor who thought that now would be the perfect time to play out his plan on the unsuspecting Slytherins. Casting a silencing charm on the professors, Mukesh and the driver, he cast another shield charm around them and the Gryffindors keeping them in a tight bubble that would last an hour, protecting them from the after-effects of the prank.

Whispering the incantation, he waited for the impending shrieks of disgust from above. Seconds passed by, when suddenly, Hermione in the corner woke up shouting, along with Luna who started coughing. Before he could register in his head, why they were acting that way, the smell reached his nose and the imbecile red head realised what he did. And soon every student including the Slytherins were up to see the chaos. Hermione lit her wand and came stomping towards

"Ron! Why are there residues of Stink Bombs over here?" asked an incredulous Hermione.

"Hermione! I swear I kept them upstairs! I'm very sure I climbed those stairs and kept them on their beds," said Ron, hysterically trying to run away from the stink. He ran towards the end of the shield charm, forgetting that it would last for an hour, and bounced back into the circle. The Slytherins could be heard sniggering in the dark from above.

"Well clearly the incantation was right since the bombs have exploded, but you waved your wand correctly or no," asked Ginny as she cast a bubble charm around her and Harry's head. The others followed soon and cast charms around their head.

"Yes! Two flicks followed by a wave towards the right, away from left," said Ron, as Seamus helped him cast a bubble charm around his head.

"Ron! You imbecile! It two flicks followed by a wave towards the right and another towards the left! You forgot the last wave," exclaimed Hermione.

"Well. Well. Well. Thanks dorks, for the lovely hearty laugh. I guess for this prank of yours to be backfiring gives us two points," drawled Draco. He looked at Hermione and continued, "So Granger, that should give us two points; one for your stupidity, and one for our amusement," and he smirked that infamous smirk of his that made her want to punch it out of his face again like in third year.

"Thank you for making the night so lively for us Weasel," smirked Pansy and stalked back into her bed with her friends soon following after.

"Well, Ronald, you certainly won't be in-charge of any more pranks," huffed Ginny, incredibly annoyed at his stupidity, "And calm down Mione, we will make this better." She walked towards Hermione, placed her hands on her best friend's shoulders and continued, "Tomorrow is a new day. More opportunities to get back at the Slyths. We all want to win this, and honestly, even without the competition, we are enjoying this, because for once, we are not tormenting each other. Even if are at war, it's a war of the minds, not of feelings. So calm down okay," she said reassuringly.

"Thank you Gin," smiled Hermione, "I was almost going to take this personally," she chuckled. She walked over to Ron and punched him lightly in the arm, "Silly boy."

And somewhere from the deck above, the Slyths heard it all, and felt warmer by the new found appreciation for the Dorks they once so hated.

Maybe the days following this incident would indeed be interesting to see. A new day. A new definition to their lives. Perhaps the magic of India was already working on them all.

With happy thoughts in all their minds, the ended with the score of:

Gryffindor: 9

Slytherin: 6

"Morning students! It's half an hour before we reach our destination, The Pink City, Jaipur! Once we enter the city, you'll know why it is called the Pink City, and after freshening up at the Hawa Mahal, or the Wind Palace, we will prepare ourselves for a dinner prepared for you all. So freshen up!" exclaimed Mukesh, as the students got out of their beds and whispering incantations to clean themselves up.

Soon everybody had their noses stuck to the window of the buses as they watched in awe with the amount of pink around the city. Pink buildings, pink walls, it was an overwhelming sight, but not so much as to nauseate one, but to rather excite them. Streets were busy with bicycles and rickshaws, people were randomly on the streets, headed to wherever their destinations were, street vendors were opening up their stalls to start their daily businesses, and not one of them paid mind to the huge bus manoeuvring around them all.

After an hour into the city, amidst it traffic, they reached their destination, with mouths wide open.

India was surely not going to disappoint them on this trip.

That's it! Please Review! Next chapter will leave you in awe. Love love love to you all!


	11. Chapter 11 The Palace

CHAPTER 11 - THE PALACE

The sight ahead of them was the most astonishing one that they had ever seen.

With the single-most unique five-storey exterior that was akin to the honeycomb of a beehive, the heart-warming pyramidal structure was decorated with intricate sandstone carving and domes around what seemed like millions of little windows. This sandstone structure was a full testimony to the epithet of "Pink City" given to Jaipur. The entry to this grandeur of a monument was through a grand door, and students could not wait to see what laid beyond it.

"Lal Chand Ustad," boomed the voice of Mukesh, as he now stood in front of the structure, distracting the students and professors alike from their musings, "Was the mastermind, the architect of this unique structure in 1799, the crown jewel of this city. And if looks at the view in one go, it really does resemble a magnificent crown to be put on someone's head, namely, the crown of Lord Krishna, one of the most revered Gods in Hinduism. But allow me to let you in on a secret. Lord Krishna was powerful, not because he was actually a God, but because he was one of the greatest magicians, with nearly god-like attributes, to live in the Iron Age. Only the wizarding community in India knows of this, not the muggles. But he was an inspiration to them both. But I won't divulge anything anymore about him, except to add that he was as great as you would consider Merlin in Europe. You will lean more about him in your magical classes, anyways.

"Now back to the structure, the facade depicts 953 intricately carved _jharokhas_, or windows, that is decorated with intricate latticework. The muggles in that era were told that it is to allow the royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen because the conservative society back then forced women to observe a strict "_purdah_" or loosely translated to covering of the face. But only the royal family along with its court people knew of the real reason behind the construction of the building. It was dark times for the people of Rajasthan in those days. This magical edifice helped to neutralise the dark magical aura that freely drifted in the very air of this region. Till date, the structure clears the air of the city, because dark magic still exists. I am no expert on this, but behind these walls, await those who do and they will aid you in your lessons about the mechanics of this building.

"The entry is through the imperial gate, which opens up to a large courtyard that has double storied buildings on three sides, one of which, you'll be staying. You will be housed on the second floor with toilets and shower stalls all being on the same floor, separate for boys and girls, of course. Now if you'd gather your belongings, let us proceed in," finished Mukesh. Everybody was focused on what he said with rapt attention, with the exception of Hermione, who surreptitiously got her Quick-Quotes Quill out and had everything he said written in her new journal for the trip (she wanted to hear what he said as well).

With sudden movements from everybody, light-weight charms were slyly cast on all luggage, as they were all still in the presence of muggles who were passing by, and they walked into the building.

Upon entering, the group happened upon a large courtyard surrounded by two-storied walls, as expected. The atmosphere on the inside was a stark change though, because it was noticeably fresher in here. The clean aura of pure magic in the air coursed through them in a comforting, cooling manner. This coolness was enhanced by the fountains outside various chambers around the courtyards. As they looked around, they saw that the top two floors of Hawa Mahal were only accessible through ramps.

Gradually they ascended upon the second floor, lead by Mukesh, to see a couple of women dressed in the Indian fineries of their local costumes, welcoming them with the general namaste and a slight bow of their heads. The students and professors greeted back in a similar form, and Mukesh said, "Behind me are your chambers that are open, with no doors and only windows to connect you to the outside world, purely for ventilation. It also allows magic to flow freely in the building. Now, please help yourself by picking out any place you'd like within the chambers, but please remember, boys are to be on the right and girls are to be on the left. The professors will find their respective chambers in the corridors adjacent to this towards the left and right. These two ladies right here with me will be your professors, along with three more to make your trip fruitful and knowledgeable! I do not stay in the palace, but if you ever need me, please contact any of your professors here to get in touch with me, and I will be there," turning to one of the ladies, he said, "Miss Mahima, I'll leave it you now to debrief them, and I'll be back for their city tour." Bidding adieu to them all, Mukesh walked off with the same happy expression, promising to be back in a couple of hours.

"Namaste, O masterful educators and bright students of the illustrious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," said the rich in accent, honeyed voice of a fair skinned woman, whom Mukesh earlier addressed as Mahima. She gazed at them fondly, her eyes wide as that of a doe and hazel in colour, "I am Mahima. You may address me as Professor Mahima, if you'd like. I'm one of the caretaker of this palace here along with 4 more people. I am also a professor at a local magical institution for girls for magical sciences and arts, namely the Maharani Gayatri Devi School, along with the other professors overlooking your educational trip here. I teach the subject of The Magical Human Anatomy, which focuses on where magic is mostly prevalent in our bodies. Benefits of this subject are great, but what I teach is mostly theoretical. Practicals of this will be overseen by our other professor, who also takes care of this palace, namely Professor Dev. He will be joining us shortly, as he is currently out on business. Professor Ananya here," pointing at the dark and lithe woman beside her, "is a master on the subject of _Tantra_. Professor Bani, along with professor Akhil, who are also not here presently will take over the subject of Vedic and Post-Vedic Studies, respectively. Professor Om will come in from time to time to take over the subject of Classical Music: Magical Perspective. We all teach the Maharani Gayatri Devi School, in fact. And we all are the care takers of this palace, and are in charge of its magical maintenance. We will brief you in detail about what you are to learn, but for now, I'd like you to freshen up and rest from the tiresome journey you've had. We will meet you again in a few hours after your city tour will be done under the caring guidance of Mukesh. We welcome you again to Jaipur, and we really are looking forward to this educational trip with you," she finished. She spoke a few quiet words with the McGonagall and Snape, and slowly glided away with her companion, Professor Ananya.

"Wow. Women here sure are something," whistled Ron as soon as they were out of earshot. He received a smart whack behind his head when an annoyed nasal voice of Snape hissed at him saying, "I'll be looking out for you Mr Weasley. No tomfoolery out here, or house points will be deducted."

The students snickered at this and McGonagall drawled, "Well Severus, for the first time I've seen you warn a student about docking points. The ambience here is indeed magical."

And all she got was a sniff and dramatic exit with billowing black robes.

!

Starry-eyed, she gazed at the open vast space commanded by several ornate pillars, as her classmates shuffled about, setting up their beds and freshening up for the city tour. She closed her eyes, breathing in the ancient magic in the air. She opened back her eyes, only by the thought of the number of mysteries this places, the stories it had to tell, and the secret that drifted in the very magic of this. She may be called as the smartest witch of the age, but one thing that she knew to be certain was that when she will return to England, she would be a changed woman.


End file.
